Alice: Back through the looking glass
by novelist24
Summary: Based off the 1951 version but set after the 'through the looking glass' book. Determined to prove they weren't dreams, Alice takes her best friend, Reggie, to find wonderland again. But when they arrive, a plot unfolds to kill Alice. Very first fanfic, enjoy.
1. Alice

Alice: back through the looking glass

The window was painted with a scene of old london. The houses and businesses of old london town seemed to have placed themselves neatly like pieces of a chessboard, a game Alice had been practising more often since her supposed 'dream'. Many people alike who called themselves friends and associates off her family, often business ones of her father's, seemed to take some note in the girl's behaviour, as she herself was very odd, even before her 'dreams' which she seldom spoke about. Alot of them called Alice 'mad girl' or some other upper class insult. Always behind the family's back of course, but they, especially Alice much to her non amusement, heard them from time to time. Her parents were embarrassed by this indeed, they would not allow their daughter to behave in such a way and make them look ridiculous in front of the fellow aristocrats of london.

The window she was staring through now, which was the one painting the scene, reminded her of the gateway to her world on her last venture to it. The looking glass. "Alice? Alice?" a female voice called from the front of the room next to a chalkboard. This voice brought Alice out of her gazing. "Oh yes sorry" Alice snapped out of her gazing and bring her attention towards her older sister tutoring her a lesson. "What is the answer to the question I just asked you?" her sister asked sternly. "10 squared is 100 and 11 squared is 121" Alice smiled. "Alice, that is not the question i asked you. Do you even know what it was?" It seemed her sister was asking her two questions now, a question and what was that question. "Well it was, it was, oh i don't know what it was" she gave in as she could find no memory of what her sister's previous question was.

"It was what is the name of an angle over 90 degrees. Alice what is the point of homeschooling you if you never pay attention" her sister scolded placing her hands on her hips. "Well, perhaps making the lessons more interesting" Alice innocently suggested. "I've tried to Alice, i've taken you out to the fields and the parks for some refreshing scenery. Yet you still don't pay attention." "I don't mean the location of the lesson's, I mean the lesson's themselves. Surely there is an arithmetic book out there with fun pictures" Alice hoped. "I'm afraid not Alice. You are going to have to take responsibility for your own learning Alice you know" her sister retorted. "Well that day has not arrived yet" pointed out Alice. Seeing it was pointless to carry on this conversation to a pointless end, her sister decided it was time to dismiss the 12 year old, after glancing at the clock. "You may go now Alice, we'll continue this tomorrow." Her sister packed up the chalk and rubbed off the drawings they had made.

Eager to leave the session, Alice packed up her belongings she took to every lesson and made it look like she was doing so at a normal pace, to not give away her eagerness. She left the room with her sister whom had closed the door and Alice proceeded to her room, intending to pack her things away. When she opened the drawer however to do so, she was startled by her kitten, Dinah. "Oh!" Alice dropped most of her things as she flung her arms in the air when Dinah appeared from inside the drawer. "Oh Dinah you naughty kitten." She picked up the feline who seemed to be smiling, though she wasn't quite sure what to make of smiling feline's anymore, she couldn't help but return the gesture. "What have i told you about sneaking up and surprising me like that" Alice shook her finger. She soon stopped after she drew a parallel of her sister scolding her earlier. Dinah cast her eyes to the ground but Alice softened. "Oh i can't stay mad at an adorable thing like you" She pressed her face against Dinah's and smiled, quite glad she didn't talk like a human, the last cat she saw do that, spoke in nothing but riddles and poems.

She then put Dinah down and continued to put away her items as she originally planned to do. While she did, Dinah started meowing over by the clock in her room, trying to get Alice's attention. "Just a minute Dinah, i'm busy right now with-" she glanced slightly at Dinah and the clock then whipped her head around as she realised. "It's 4 o'clock, why i'm supposed to be at the meeting point in half an hour" she gasped. "Thank you for reminding me Dinah, I'd better hurry, if i am to get there on time." She finished putting away her things and hurried down the stairs of her three story house. Dinah jumped into her front pocket of her skirt while she was running. Being a cat, Dinah did this with no trouble or effort whatsoever. Alice thought she had better ask her parents permission first before running off like that. She stepped into the front room of the larger than necessary house to ask for what she was hoping to receive. "Mother, Father, my lessons have finished now, may i go out to the town now?" asked Alice. Although she asked to do this everyday, she still thought she'd better get permission. "Yes you can dear, but wait a moment first." Alice quickly turned around again at her mother's second part of her sentence.

"Alice dear, your father and i have been talking. Your sister has just told us that were day dreaming in your lesson again." Her mother put down the knitting needles next to the chair she sitting in. "Alice you have to learn that every action has a consequence, if you don't pay attention in lessons where will you end up?" her father stood up from his chair. "I was only daydreaming for a while, just about the-" but Alice was cut off by her mother. "Oh Alice not that silly little wonderland dream again" her mother sighed. "It was not a dream, it actually happened. At least, i think it happened-" "Alice I've told you this before, If you do not take any responsibility, or plan things ahead, you could end up in serious trouble" scorned her father. "Your father's right Alice, and you are to start learning to think things through right now, we forbid to go out today, you are to think about that." "But mother-" Alice protested. "No but's young lady, up to your room now" ordered her mother. Alice realised this would not allow her to do her favourite activities of the day. She sulked and replied "yes mother" and left the room.

With a frustrated look on her face, and her arms crossed, she made her way up to the stairs, Dinah looking up sadly at her. In the front room her parents continued talking. "Oh i hate being hard on her dear" Alice's mother admitted. "I know, i do too, but you hear what she says about, rabbit's and cheshire cat's and talking chess pieces" her father reminded. "She has embarrassed us before in front of our friends, but hopefully she'll learn before it get's her into trouble" hoped her mother. But what the two authorities of the house didn't know was, a window was being opened. "Don't worry Dinah, no one come up here in my room most of the time anyway, we'll be back before any realises we're gone" Alice assured the worried cat. Dinah just looked back at the door then at Alice. "I suppose you'd better come with me, i don't want you giving me away." With that, Alice put Dinah in the front pocket she was in before, and climbed out the window and onto the roof next to it. She wasn't a very good climber herself, but she knew the house structure well and proceeded to the drain pipe which she climbed down.


	2. Reggie

She snuck past the window's being careful one of the servants didn't see her, and eventually out of the side gate. She was now free from the house and made her way through town to the meeting place. While on her way, she noticed the clock tower displaying the time. "Oh goodness i'm late i'm late" she realised speeding up a bit. This made her draw parallels when she first encountered something to do with wonderland. She got to the meeting point which turned out to be a bridge crossing over a river from the city to a green grassy park area, where she first fell down the rabbit hole. There she already saw her best friend waiting for her looking in the distance with a distant face to match, fiddling with a stick in his hands. "Reggie!" called out Alice making the boy's head turn. "Alice you're here" he replied jumping off the wall of the bridge to stand up. "Sorry i'm late, my parents wouldn't originally allow me to leave" she explained when she got to him. "What you mean, you're not supposed to be here?" Reggie implied. "Especially not today" Alice admitted walking by Reggie's side to the grassy area. "My parents don't know though, they think i'm still in my room. It was an awful thing for me to do, but i couldn't leave you on your own."

"My mother didn't spot ya did she?" Reggie turned to Alice, as Reggie's mother was one of the servants in Alice's house, and the only reason the children of two different social and wealth classes met, since the parents would never allow them to mingle with the social 'aliens'. Reggie worked in the house to, only he left earlier every day since he was younger than the other servants, he was only 12, same age as Alice. Reggie was in the working class and struggled with his family to make ends meet. His father was away in the redcoat army for the British empire overseas. His father would also send letters to his son telling him of the adventures he went on and the lands they discovered. Reggie would overhear some of the upper class people in the house he worked in and would eavesdrop on some lessons alice had, and because of this he would learn a lot more about the world and different subjects, making him more intelligent than most working class children of his age, but he still spoke in a typical working class victorian accent.

The three, because Dinah was still nesting in Alice's front Skirt pocket, walked along the grass until they got to the tree Alice first had the dream, at least thought it was a dream, under. Alice climbed the tree effortlessly and sat down in branch looking around by the stream as if, she was trying to catch a glimpse of something but she didn't know what. Reggie, who laid himself down with his hands behind his head near a rock opposite the tree, had noticed her expression. "What is it Alice?" Alice didn't hear him at first, but Reggie soon saw what she was looking at and realised. "You're looking for the white rabbit aren't you?" "hmm? Oh no, I was just thinking and staring at the same is all." "Alice" Reggie smiled knowing the truth. "Oh yes very well, i was hoping to spot some unusual thing running around the hedges and river" admitted Alice. "Anything that will prove to myself that i didn't just have two very strange dreams and nothing more. Do you think i'll be lucky enough to see one?" "You make your own luck in this world Alice" said Reggie standing up. "You can't really obtain good luck by something like a, pardon the pun, rabbit's foot. It'll bring you as much luck as it did the rabbit" pointed out Reggie.

He stood by the trunk of the tree and started to flail around a stick pretending it to be a sword. "But i do believe you that it wasn't just a dream." Alice looked down. She was now lying on her stomach on the branch. "You do?" she was surprised. "Of course. My pop sent me letters a few months ago, right before he stopped sending them for some reason." Alice looked away at this statement. She didn't want to reveal anything to Reggie yet. "But he used to tell of missions he went on, and lands he had explored in Africa Australia and Canada. Creatures with long necks and spotted. Jumping animals that use their front arms to box each other. And brown furred creatures in Canada, that can stand on their hind legs, and catch fish with their mouths." Reggie seemed so caught up in his father's stories, he almost forgot his original point. "All those stories of strange creatures, it's actually quite hard not to believe you. But i bet that's quite tame to what you've seen Alice" Reggie figured. "If, i really did see those things" she sighed. "But thank you Reggie." "For what?" Reggie looked up at her. "For believing me, you're the only to ever believe my stories so far" Alice ran her fingers through her blonde hair like a comb. Dinah was now trying to achieve a higher seat inside the tree.

"I do admit, I would like to see this 'wonderland' for myself, even though i tend to put logic first, if believing in such a place is logical" Reggie questioned himself. "Logical?" repeated Alice. "You're the one who is talking about long necked creatures, though i cannot boast myself" Alice realised. "Yes what was it that you saw in 'wonderland'?" asked Reggie lying down on his stomach next to the stream, keeping his eyes on a frog leaping from lilypad to lilypad. "Did you ever see a talking frog in Braces?" he made a cocky smile. "No" Alice retorted. "I saw a talking lizard and hare and even a cat like Dinah, only it was smiling reciting poetry." Alice climbed down from the tree and laid down next to her friend on her stomach holding her head up with her hands. "I didn't exactly have the best time the first time i visited wonderland you know" she admitted. "I nearly lost my head the first time i visited that place." "Why is that?" asked Reggie. "A different number of characters got me into trouble with the queen. It was not my fault, they all made it look like it was me who caused the queen to lose her temper."

"Was that what happened?" Reggie turned to her. "Well, i did call her a, pardon my language, fat mean pompous bad-tempered old tyrant." Alice looked away in embarrassment. "You called her that? That's you all over Alice, sweet and innocent, but knows how to insult when angered." "Yes well, I was quite angry at the unfairness of my trial" Alice smiled looking up at Reggie. "Were you scared?" Reggie wondered. "For a good deal of the time yes, especially when i was being chased by the cards and the queen shouting: 'off with her head!'" Alice did her best impression of the queen of hearts in a mocking tone which made Reggie chuckle. "I would like to face up to those cards and show them a thing or two" Reggie said looking at his reflection in the river. "Really Reginald? There were quite a lot of them. In their hundreds i should say." reminded Alice. "Well if they're made of card like you said they shouldn't be too much of a challenge. My pop used to write in his letters how he would face up to man-eating creatures, how the empire bravely fights to defend itself against the attackers, and looks after the natives of that land, in exchange for goods for their protectors" Reggie stared off into the distance.

"My dad is a real hero. Do you think I'll be a hero like my dad?" Reggie asked with some hope and aspiration in his voice. "You mean going to foreign lands and fighting?" asked Alice curiously. "Anything" Reggie seemed to conclude. "Fighting soldiers with a sword, defending a land against monstrous creatures or a beast, defeating an evil tyrant, rescuing a damsel, to prove i can be a hero you know." "I'm sure anyone can be a hero if they have the chance and just put their mind to it" Alice seemed to figure. "Even a working class child?" Reggie revealed what he was trying to prove. "Even that i'm sure." smiled Alice. Alice stood up again and so did Reggie grabbing another stick, fiddling with it like Alice was doing with a bunch of flowers in her hands. "Still, if i ever go back to wonderland, It'll just be to prove that it _is_ real, and nothing more" stated Alice walking along the river, each step of hers delicately placed on the grass as she walked along stream. "I don't want the queen ordering my death again." "Well i'm sure you'll find it somewhere again Alice. You just gotta look in the right place"

After an afternoon of climbing trees and pretending to sword fight with branches, Reggie introduced her to a game he heard the americans play. He and Alice had just finished tying sticks together with pieces of grass into a perfect circle. "I heard when the americans finished their 'frisby pie' as they call them, they throw the dishes to each other and catch them" explained Reggie. "hm, how peculiar. Still, i'm curious to see what it's like" Alice caught the circle of sticks thrown by Reggie and quickly returned it. While this was going on between the friends, Dinah spotted a bug crawling along a twig as if it never seen one before, and with cat like instincts perched herself like a bird, then got ready to pounce. The bug must've seen this, or have incredible senses in itself, as it flew itself away leading to Dinah landing herself into the water of a raging river. The splash alerted the children whom turned around. "Dinah!" Alice realised she left her cat on her own and forgot how Dinah could get into trouble.

Alice and Reggie rushed down to the river where Dinah was struggling to stay afloat. "Reggie we have to get her out, she'll drown!" Reggie looked around for something to use but then saw some rocks big enough for a person his exact age and height to kneel down on. He ran towards them and jumped on one by one till he reached the one not so quite in the middle of the river. Alice looked around for something to assist. She picked up a long branch and ran back to the river. "Reggie catch!" the stick was thrown to Reggie which he caught and tried to use it so Dinah, who was now holding onto a rock, could grab. "I can get her if i just lean forward-" but Reggie forgot about wetness of the rock, and slipped into the water himself. "Reggie!" called Alice as he grabbed onto a rock in the water. Reggie turned just in time to see Dinah go under. "No!" they shouted in sync, but the river for a brief second seemed to be kind and Dinah's paw surfaced the water and grabbed the stick, which was now wedged between two rocks. Alice lifted the stick up and pulled Dinah towards her.

"Dinah! Oh thank goodness you're safe" she dried off Dinah with the white part of her skirt and hugged the feline. Dinah, although still shaking, returned the gesture in a cat like way. Reggie pulled himself to the bank and shook his head. He looked up at Alice and Dinah, and then back at the river and frowned. 'Some hero' he concluded himself to be. He just looked back down at the floor, when he felt an arm wrap around him and pull him into an embrace. "Thank you Reggie" said Alice finally letting go of him. They both stood up and realised the sun was retiring for the night. "We'd better get going, my mother's going to throw the book at me this time" Reggie knew as he tried to shake his sleeves dry, but they seemed to have a mind of their own since they didn't want to. "I wonder if there's any other passageway to wonderland? Probably not." Alice dismissed. "If lightning strikes twice in wonderland, then i'm sure it's the same passageway" suggested Reggie.

"Do you think there are things in this world where anything that is isn't, and what has happened hasn't?" continued Alice. "Well there are many things in this world we haven't explored yet, hopefully we'll get to seem them all" Reggie replied. The two bounced ideas off each other, until they reached the point where they would be seen together, so they had to part ways. "Well today was certainly, exciting. But, I suppose i'll see you tomorrow Alice." "Are you going to be alright in those?" she referred to his brown scruffy shirt, coat and trousers which were still soaked. "I might just walk around a while, see if i can get them dry, but the important thing is Dinah is safe" he smiled and Alice returned that. "Thank you again Reggie, i'll see you then." The two parted ways and Alice made it back to her household. She closed the door behind her and was about to make her way up the stairs when she was stopped. "Alice?" her mother noticed her. "Oh mother" Alice remembered she had snuck out earlier, through the window. The whole river ordeal caused her to forget about that.

"Alice, did you, leave the house today?" questioned her mother. "Oh, no, Dinah just got out and I rushed out to get her and-" she tried to think of a lie. "Well that's odd, because i didn't see you leave through the door" her mother pointed out. "Yes that was because, i walked through the back door." lied Alice. "You're all wet" noticed her mother. "It's been raining" "No it hasn't, and what are grass stains on your legs" her mother pointed to them. "Alice, you snuck out didn't you?" This was more of a rhetorical question. All Alice could do was turn away. "Miss Alice Liddell, how dare you deliberately disobey me and your father. You are not to do this again, and you will be punished even further" since she was already told to go to her room in the first place, and was about to be punished for missing a punishment. "How did you get all wet anyway?" seeing there was no point in lying anymore, Alice explained "Dinah fell into a lake, and we had to fish her out" "We?" "I, I had to fish her out." "Alice, shouldn't you know better than to leave Dinah on her own." "Dinah knows not to wander off or do foolish things." "Which is more i can say for you. Alice she's your cat, you should look after her more properly." "Well maybe if i didn't have to sneak out, all these rules restricting me, you may as well just strike me."

"Don't be silly Alice. You should count yourself lucky you are under parents who believe striking their child is terrible and wrong. You are forbidden to go out the rest of the week, you understand." Alice didn't reply, but tried to make silence count as a yes. Alice was sent to her room, only allowed down for dinner, and was sent straight back up again. "There won't be all these boring lessons for long Dinah, soon there'll be just fun and might i say 'wonder'."

 **A/N: That's the second chapter, sorry if it's a bit long, it took a while to write. Alice in wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll and Disney.**


	3. The queen and the plan

A castle stood not tall but tallish as it would be considered tall to most creatures average height. The way it stood was in sort of a distorted way yet not like a distorted way. It was surrounded by a maze which would only be a maze to people who were new to it. Running along the card soldiers, whom were all standing so well together, if you looked at them from the side, you wouldn't see their middle. And who else would be running all past them but the one who is famous for being late. But this time the rabbit himself was running not because he was late, but because he had some very very important news. He ran past the blades of grass which seemed to be combing themselves and onto the pathway which didn't appear until he reached it. "Quick, i must see the queen of hearts! I have some important news to inform" the white rabbit ran towards the castle which was still slouching.

"Please let me through, i must bring something to the queen's attention." The card guards simply looked down and questioned "Is this a matter of business or royalty?" "Royalty, some of the scouting cards have found something incredible! It could concern the whole kingdom!" Just behind him the 'scouting' cards ran up, in a cartoon fashion, one of them holding some sort of basket in his hands with a blanket covering whatever was inside. "He's right! We have to see her royal majesty in the next few exact seconds." The guards exchanged glances before granting permission. "Thank you, come on, bring the basket!" the white rabbit ran through the castle doors with the cards following suit. Inside the castle different portraits of the queen were lined across the walls all expressing her as some noble queen despite the angry expressions in some of them. The hallway was twisting and curving but the white rabbit and cards seemed to walk through it perfectly.

When they reached the throne room the queen was already shouting her favourite phrase, after a servant had spilt tea accidently over her. She was sent to the block. "Your majesty your majesty, we have some very important news of something we just found-" "Look at this mess" the queen interrupted. She simply pulled off the tea stain like a piece of cloth, walked over to the balcony and threw it over. "That could've ruined a great piece of card clothing" the queen stared out from her balcony across the part of wonderland that was hers. "Your majesty I have to inform of something" but the rabbit was once again interrupted by a loud horn sound which made him close his ears. The queen scoffed and stated "look at that part of the land, where they blow the horn to signal of the start of a chess game by the red and white kings and queens, ha! A game nothing on all par with croquet." "Well no one plays croquet as good as you your highness" complimented one the servants.

The queen just chuckled "It's not just the game, it's the fact that everything on that side is run _their_ way, and not _my_ way. Why just imagine all of wonderland under the rule of the greatest queen who ever did rule. The grass would be redder, the mome raths will be no longer outgrabing as annoying as that is, and the stars at daynight will shine my name, and _everyone_ that makes me lose my temper _will_ be beheaded!" "Is that what's been troubling you dear?" the miniature king asked. "There's been something troubling for the past few days now i can tell, why ever since that little girl-" "That girl" the queen growled to herself. "What is this?" one of the guards whispered to the other. "Few weeks ago, a small girl came from the human world, she annoyed the queen and was put on trial, but she escaped. The only one to escape a beheading ordered by the queen."

"No one, i repeat no one, has ever escaped the order of the queen of hearts!" she yelled in frustration. "Oh this makes a queen like myself feel so depressed, and angry." "Well don't fret my queen, remember what the great chalkboard has drawn" reminded the king. "The great chalkboard?" asked the rabbit. The queen lifted up her throne like a window blind to reveal a back room, which was dark and darker still, but by the sides were still guards stood at attention. The queen, king, white rabbit, the servants and the scouting cards entered the rather large but dark room. One side of the room was a chalkboard standing there, which when approached, proceeded to draw it's own drawings. "The chalkboard rarely draws out events in the future, and you know that's serious since time moves in several different directions here, and now it's drawn something new" the king explained to the white rabbit.

"What's it drawing?" the rabbit asked again. "It's telling of that little Alice girl, who came here those weeks ago." ( **A/N:This chapter is set in wonderland after a few weeks from the film. The parts with Alice and Reggie are set two years after.** ) "It tells that she will return after a few years, with a friend that time, and there will be some major events happening, mainly in the chess kingdom when they do arrive." the king told the rabbit. "Events are only major if i say they're major" the queen proclaimed. "And when that Alice girl comes back, her death at my hands, for humiliating me last time, will be a major event!" "Too bad she escaped through the sleeping method." remarked one of the servants. "The method that door uses to get humans out of wonderland, by making them think they were dreaming, by putting them back sleeping" the queen turned away from the chalkboard. "What is it you wanted an ounce of my attention for?" she asked the white rabbit. "Oh thats right!" he remembered and signalled for the scouting cards to come over.

The cards brought over the small basket and placed it on the table in the room which was starting to light itself up. "This was something the cards found earlier your majesty, something that the great wonderlanders thought to be extinct for years which ever way time moved. Here under this blanket." The rabbit took off the blanket to reveal what was in the basket. Everyone's eyes widened in shock. "Is that-" the servant was cut off. "A Jabberwock" the queen realised. "A Jabberwock cub" remarked the king. The Jabberwock cub was actually in the form of a human, but everyone knew it could take a human form, or it's true form. That was the second it chose to wake up, which made everyone jump back. The cub just started to look around at it's new surroundings and became, curious. "Hello?" It looked up at the people that were looking back at him. "Why hello there" the king smiled "which part of wonderland are you from." "I, was from this part of wonderland, near the wilting mushrooms." "Whatever happened to the other Jabberwock's?" "My, parents died, a while back, I, I have no home." "Where have the Jabberwock's been hiding all this time?" asked the white rabbit.

"What do you mean?" the cub asked in a childlike manner. "There are more than me and my parents?" Everyone looked at eachother, then they started to whisper together. "You all know what he'll grow into right?" the queen reminded them all. "Yes, he'll become a ravaging beast, a monster that will be impassible to defeat!" pointed out one of the servants. "He's right" whispered the queen turning away. "He'll grow into a creature that'll have teeth and claws as sharp as the beheading axe, with no escape from him because of his wings and size, and, and," the queen then grinned evilly and made a sinister laugh. "My dear Jabberwock, how would you like it if we accepted you into our home, and took good care of you?" she asked walking towards the table. "I would like that very much, a miss having a good home, and people to take care of me ever since, my parents, 'sniff'." "Don't worry child, we'll give you a good home" grinned the queen. "Really, your majesty?" asked one of the cards.

"Yes. I have a plan" she whispered back picking up the basket. "Um, your majesty, do you remember the old rules of wonderland?" the rabbit reminded. "What rules?" she snapped. "Well, by the old rules of wonderland which i remember since old can be new here, any Jabberwock in captivity must stay in a certain place when in their Jabberwock form, in order for safety reasons of wonderland." "What! Is there anyway he can come out of that place?" she questioned. "Well, only if he, well" the rabbit gulped. "Draws his first blood. Only then will he be able to come out in his Jabberwock form." "Why that, fits perfectly. Supendisally with the plan." smiled the queen as she led the confused others out the back room into the throne room. She turned to the guards "take this little fellow to the old abandoned castle near the chess kingdom. You'll be living there now little one." "Thank you" the Jabberwock cub smiled innocently in it's human form, as he was taken away. "My dear, what plan exactly is this?" asked the king walking out to the balcony with her the rabbit and servants.

"Don't you see, i can personally raise that last Jabberwock, raise it to carry out a certain, task." "What task?" "When that Alice girl finally comes back here, we will lead her to that certain castle, containing a Jabberwock, raised to hate her, and raised, to murder." "You mean?" the rabbit was completely shocked. "Yes. The Jabberwock will be inescapable, unlike the block she escaped from last time. And once he's drawn his first blood, he will be released onto the chess kingdom, taking what he can for me. He could even be my heir" She laughed wickedly at the thought of a creature so fierce, ruling her two new kingdoms after her. "He will be a king of the lands, half of which is not his. Tell no one about this, but that Alice girl will soon pay the price for getting on my bad side. The flag of hearts with fly against a sky that is blood red, from the blood of Alice."

 **A/N: The next chapter. I tried to make wonderland as nonsensical as i could. I hope you enjoy the story unfolding more now. Next chapter, we see Alice and Reggie enter wonderland. Also, i read that the poem is called 'Jabberwocky' but the creature itself is called 'Jabberwock' just to clear that up. enjoy!**


	4. Back through the looking glass

Alice made her way through her house, still slightly sad from the events of yesterday, she had just come back from another lesson that she, as she described it, had to strain her attention span in that lesson to learn anything. She had no idea what to do for the next few days for fun, since she was not allowed out for the next few days. Her mother and father were very clear on that. By now the servants of the house were carrying out their chores they were paid to do, the little they were paid to do. Her blue and white dress, now a different one but looked exactly the same as the one she wore yesterday. Alice was in her room at one end of a chessboard and Dinah at the end of the other. "No Dinah, the knight moves two spaces then one to the side to where it has just moved" Alice tried to instruct her pet to play correctly.

Dinah just simply knocked over the piece with her nose. Alice just mentally sighed. "Oh what am i doing trying to teach you to how to play chess, what nonsense, you don't even have thumbs." Dinah just looked up at her owner as to say 'you are mad.' "Oh well, perhaps Reggie would like to play, when he's finished working of course. Lets go ask him" she proclaimed knowing he would be working in the room up on the next level. She stepped out of her room with Dinah on her shoulder and looked around to see if there were any of her relatives along the corridor. There were just one or two servants in the corridor. Alice made her way through occasionally being greeted by the servants. "Why hello miss Alice, where you off to then?" "Oh just, to another lesson thank you" lied Alice, as she walked up the stairs to the third floor and to the room where Reggie would be working.

She made sure no one else was around first, since no one would allow two children of different social structures to be seen together. When she entered, this made Reggie immediately look up, as he expected it to be one of the other servants or employers, but discovered it was his best friend. "Alice!" Reggie was indeed surprised. "Hello Reggie, I don't mean to disturb you in all but, when will you be done?" Reggie was currently mopping the wooden floor in the room with spare bed. All he had was a bucket of soapy water and a few brushes and cloths. "Well I've only done this side or the room, so it's going to be a while. Even then i have other duties to do here" explained Reggie seeming to have more duties, meaning he had more time on his hands. "Why do you ask? I thought you were forbade to go out for the next few days?" "Well yes but, wait, how do you know that? I wasn't going to tell you until just now." "I overheard your folks discuss it. I'm sorry about that Alice." "Don't be, although that's a huge relief on me not having to tell you. Um, did your mother-"

"Yeah my mother took a big disliking to me getting wet, threatened me with some weird punishment she said, if it happened again." "I'm sorry Reggie, that was kind of my fault, well, Dinah's fault." "Don't be sorry Alice" Reggie smiled. "She's only a cat it's just her instinct." Alice smiled back, glad she knew someone who wouldn't blame her. "So why did you want me?" asked Reggie bringing the conversation back to it's original topic. "Well i was wondering, once you were finished here, you would like to play chess with me? Only that i tried to play with Dinah, but she isn't co-operating." explained Alice. "I don't think we can Alice, if you're not allowed out, we'll been seen, then we're both for it" protested Reggie. "No, we can play in the room with the looking glass, no one hardly goes in there anymore, not even to clean it" she explained. "I'm not sure Alice, i don't want to risk it" Reggie was not too sure.

"Reggie i promise you, no one ever goes in there, it's just an old room no one uses anymore" assured Alice. "Well alright, but i won't be finished for a while" Reggie finally agreed. "Perhaps i could help you, i mean it can't be that hard can it?" "If you want to Alice, grab a cloth" he chuckled and threw a cloth at her. "Do you mind Reginald?" she put her hands on her hips after the cloth hit her. "You wanted to help didn't you?" he smiled. She simply threw a small cushion from a nearby chair back at him and smiled "yes but you don't have to be rude about it." "Hey i have a bucket of water here, you don't want to become all wet again do you?" he teased. "I _know_ you won't do that" Alice said smugly. "Really" Reggie just smiled and threw a wet brush which splashed a few drops in it's radius.

"Reggie!" protested Alice, but she soon threw it back and the pair started laughing and giggling as the floor started to get more wet than it should've. The bucket even spilt over at one point, but none of it reached the bed. When it fell over, this did make a lot of noise, which attracted the attention of Alice's sister. "Mr Hargreaves, what is all that noise going on in here?" Alice's sister stood at the door, then realised her younger sibling in the room too. "Alice what are _you_ doing in here?" Alice tried to think of an excuse fast, but was saved by Reggie. "Forgive me, miss Liddell, i just split the bucket is all, Alice heard it too and came to assist me" Reggie covered up for both of them. "Is that true Alice?" asked her sister. Alice looked back at Reggie worriedly but he gave her a subtle look to confirm it was okay. Alice looked back at the elder in front of her. "Yes it is" she lied. "Well that's considerate of you Alice, but this isn't your job, it's what Mr Hargreaves here is paid to do. I trust you'll have this cleaned up?" she turned to Reggie.

"Yes don't worry about miss, it'll be spotless" Reggie promised. "Well okay then. Alice, come along." Her sister motioned for Alice to follow her. Just before Alice left after her sister, she whispered to Reggie "are you still going to play with me later today?" "Yeah I'll be there soon" he whispered back. Later that day, Reggie and Alice accompanied by Dinah, had already set up the set of chess, and were mid game. Reggie had told his mother he was out in the square during the day. "I wasn't honestly sure about today Alice" Reggie told her. "After your sister walked in earlier." "Yes. Sorry again, that you had to take responsibility for that bucket." "Well, we did kinda get carried away back there." "I know but we were only playing" dismissed Alice. "Your move" Reggie told her. Alice studied the chess board. By now she had already lost a few pieces but was still in the game. She went to move the bishop but then realised she would lose her queen. So she decided to move the rook but then saw that she would be in check. "Whatever piece i move another will be taken" she complained.

"That's strategy" Reggie smiled. "How are you so good at it?" wondered Alice."

"When my father use to send me letters describing the empire's conquests, he use to tell of strategies to defend themselves and launch offensives. Look, the pawns are preventing your pawns from advancing and the one's that aren't are stopping your knights moving. And my bishops and rooks are positioned so they can take any piece that goes into their path" Reggie explained. "Well you've certainly learned from them. I wish i had your ability to pay attention" admitted Alice. "I suppose when you really need to when you're on minimum wage, or have nothing else outside of work or school" Reggie figured saying this more to himself. He seemed not acknowledge Alice for a few seconds. "You'll make a great commander" she commented, bringing his attention back to her. "You think so? I would like to be like the heroes in the history books and plays, like henry the fifth or captain James Cook. Being in the red coat army and commanding its forces. Defeating our attackers and defending our territories, fighting in battle against the tyrants of other countries and protecting the natives" Reggie daydreamed just like Alice would.

Alice enjoyed this fact though, she didn't feel so alone. "If one desires something one must work to achieve it" Alice gave another piece of advice this time to her friend instead of herself. She had been following more of her own advice ever since her first adventure to wonderland. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew open the window, moved the chess pieces, and made the hair of Alice and Reggie look like it was dancing. Dinah, who was now standing on the mantelpiece, had a lot of dust blown on her and the looking glass behind her, which caused her to sneeze and shake her head. "Oh, dear" Alice was frustrated, since she and Reggie had to now remember where each piece was. Reggie got up and closed the window. "Now we have to put them in each square they were originally in, And Dinah look at you" she walked over to her cat and brushed her over. "Reggie is there a cloth anywhere?" she asked wanting to brush Dinah. "Yeah there's one right next to the table" he replied picking up some pieces.

Alice grabbed it and after brushing off Dinah, started on the looking glass from the dust it bore. "I think some went under the chairs" Reggie put the first half of his body under the chair to look for them. "Yes try to look in the darker areas under the furniture and-" Alice stopped brushing the looking glass, as it took a while to realise, but she felt her arm move further forward than it ought to, when she was brushing the glass. Her head turned an acute angle left, and eyes widened as she saw half her arm halfway through the glass. Her mouth made an 'O' shape, and pulled her arm out. She shook her head dismissively, but out of curiosity, put it in again. It was just then the other side of the glass started to change into a scene of fields, and groves. Despite looking so far away, she could touch the leaf's on the tree's.

No, this had to be another dream, she most likely fell asleep earlier and was having another dream about playing chess and finding the looking glass again.

But seemed so real. She brought her arm out to pinch herself but was only met with a slight pain and still being in her current situation. Then she knew how she could prove she wasn't dreaming. "Reggie, Reggie could you come here a minute?" she called her friend as Dinah was now resting herself on the floor. "What is it?" he came out from under the chair. Alice was not quite sure how to explain. He'd think she was mad, just like her family. "Can you just, um, touch the glass over here please." "Touch the glass?" "I know it's an unusual request, but can you please do it?" Reggie looked unsure about her but he proceeded to carry out her request. "Alright, but i don't know what this is about Al-" Reggie stopped mid sentence because he was intending but press his hand on the glass, but instead it went straight through. He turned his to face it, and removed his hand. "What the-" "I knew it. I'm glad i wasn't the only one seeing this" Alice realised. She then started to climb up towards it and put both her hands inside the glass.

"Alice what are you doing?" Reggie couldn't believe it. There she was, stepping into the very glass she talked about of her 'dream' which Reggie, although he did believe she actually stepped into some strange world of some sort, never believed he would see anything like it himself. His friend then stepped completely into the glass and disappeared. "Alice! Alice!" Reggie looked through the glass and saw the same trees and fields Alice had seen, only this time he saw the blonde girl in the blue dress running towards the tree. He saw his friend turn around and motioned for him to follow her. Reggie hesitated. He turned to Dinah and just simply said "If we don't come back out Dinah, get help" he knew she wouldn't being a cat and couldn't talk, he never met a cat who could. He wasn't sure at first, but he gave in and slowly put his arms in, climbed up and walked all the way in. Human beings are normally afraid of what they don't understand. But Reggie thought if Alice was completely fine going through this he could too.

He then found himself in a field, surrounded by moving grass even though there was no wind. He looked behind him and saw the looking glass and the room they were just standing in. He turned back to see Alice sitting on the tree branch, but it then seemed to lower her down. Reggie walked over to Alice, not quite sure of the very area he was in. Alice on the other hand, seemed to be reminiscing. "I remember this. The waving grass, the blue, well, changing to blue leaf's. and the animals that look like instruments." Alice had spotted a saucer frog on a nearby lake. "Alice, is this Wonderland?" "Yes, yes i suppose it is" Alice grew a huge smile, realising she was back in her land of non-sense. "I knew it was real!" she cried joyously clasping her hands. "Oh just imagine it" she skipped over to her still not so sure friend. "We're back in Wonderland, well, i'm back in wonderland. But just think of all the new lands and parts of it to explore, and all the mysterious creatures." This sentence caught Reggie's attention.

"Explore" he repeated. "Finding mysterious new creatures." He thought about the letters his father use to send him about different parts of the world he had ventured to, and all the strange things he had seen. Plus he read all the newspapers he could get his hands on about the empire's voyages and exploration. And now, there was a strange new land right before him. Full of, as Alice put it, nonsense. A land that probably no human, other than Alice, had been to before. Why he could be, held as one of the country's greatest heroes, and not just a working class servant. Alice's excitement turned into worry quite quickly. "wait, what if this is just another dream again? No i pinched myself, i'm not dreaming, am i? What if you're in my dream Reggie and you're not real?" Reggie tried to calm his overreacting friend. "No Alice, this is real, trust me i'm here, really experiencing this as well. Alice don't you realise, you were right! It is real! It wasn't just two dreams you had, wonderland is an actual location." Alice seemed to realise this as well. "Why, why you're right. I mean i was right, i mean. Reggie we can go and explore this place, just to prove it is real and confirm it" said Alice grabbing his arm and running forward into a forest, completely forgetting the danger she faced last time.


	5. The chess royals

Alice and Reggie entered a forest a few metres away from where they originally were. Alice was going at a fast pace although she was still walking. Reggie tried to keep up with her whilst trying to take in his new and unfamiliar surroundings. The more things they passed, the bigger Alice's smile grew. She finally stopped and Reggie caught up with her. "Why it's all coming back to me" Alice reminiscened. "I wonder if we'll meet any characters that i met before? What do you think Reggie? Reggie?" Reggie seemed to be staring at the nature around him before replying to Alice. "Huh, oh sorry Alice, I'm just still taking in the fact that I'm actually here, in a land such as this. I mean I always wanted to explore the world like my dad but, I never thought exploring something such as this." "Well how about we start now. C'mon, i have so many things i want to check on to see if still there" she proclaimed taking his hand and leading him through the forest.

As they ran forward, Reggie managed to glimpse at all the trees and branches around him as well as the plant life. Her and Reggie started to slow down as a different number of things in the forest became darker, not that they ran into a darker area, but the forest became dark. "Oh no, i'd forgotten how easily you could get lost in this forest or forests" Alice admitted starting to look around. Reggie, realising that they were lost, mentally sighed at first but then started to look up at a gap between the trees at the sky. He noticed that there were bugs, very funny looking bugs, but identifiable as them, started buzzing towards the light. He then looked down at the ground and saw a line of bugs all walking single file into the bushes, holding signs saying 'Sunlight or bust.' "Alice, you know how bugs are attracted to sunlight" Reggie brought up. "Are they? How do you know that?" "Oh just, you have to know things to become a traveller one day, but that kinda gives it away" he pointed down at the line of bugs holding the signs.

The pair headed in the same direction as the bugs were going, and eventually saw a light in the distance which they ran towards. "I knew it. Bugs, even in a place such as this Alice as you described, are attracted to sunlight." "Look! There's a wall in the distance" pointed out Alice as they came out of the woods. "And you want to explore round there?" asked Reggie. "And you don't?" this was more of a rhetorical question as she knew Reggie too well. "Of course" he smiled back. "But we have to be cautious" he warned. "We don't know what's out there." "Oh Reggie I've been here twice, I don't there will be danger" "Oh really, what did you say happened when you met the queen of hearts." "Well ok, there might be some danger, but she won't get me again I assure you." The two ran to the outside of the forest, coming out to the light, with the wall not to far away. They walked into an open clearing and the wall got closer, not, they got closer to it. Once they arrived, Alice recognised an old acquaintance. "Why it's Humpty Dumpty, he's still sat on that wall after all this time, don't you ever eat?"

"What's to eat and why, when the view i have is magnificent" the egg proclaimed looking down. "Why, it is you, the strange talking girl, who didn't know a cravat from a belt." "I learned what that was you were eventually, and besides i had only just met you then" Alice protested. "Dear boy" humpty turned to Reggie. "What item of clothing do you call this?" he pointed towards the clothing below his neck. "It's a cravat" Reggie replied. "See my dear child" humpty turned to Alice. "What, Reggie how did you know?" Alice turned to him. "You can tell by the shape of it" Reggie pointed out. "There you are dear girl, a child who doesn't offend me" humpty mentioned. "How are you even real?" Reggie asked, still in confusion and surprise that this character actually existed, and contradicting what humpty had just said. "What do you mean by 'real' my child?" humpty leaned forward trying to harden his offense.

"I thought you were just a nursery rhyme, but I suppose that anything can be possible in this land" figured Reggie. "By dear boy" humpty began. "I do not come to your land, the human land, at least i assume you're human, and question your existence. I am here talking and breathing am i not." "We do apologise mr dumpty, it's just that my friend has never been here before" Alice explained. "That is still no reason to question someone in that way, but i do appreciate you coming back to see me" he softened. "Alice tells me you helped her understand poems" Reggie tried to strike up a conversation. Alice remembered "that's right, such as the poem 'Jabberwocky'-" "Jabberwocky! I, I did not explain such a thing!" humpty denied quickly almost with some fear. "What? yes you did, you explained to me what mome raths were and outgrabing, and i saw other verses when i first walked through the looking glass about having to beware something" Alice reminded.

"I said no such thing! If you require more information on this, i suggest you see the chess royals." "You mean the white and red king and queen" Alice figured. "Yes, i have no more business with you children" humpty dismissed and turned away. The children, seeing no point in being there anymore, they left slightly confused. "Well he was certainly different from last time" Alice remarked. "Yeah he seemed, afraid of something" Reggie pointed out. "He had no problem explaining it to me before." "When he said 'the chess royals' did he mean?" "Oh yes, the chess kingdom. I don't believe i told you much about that Reggie." "I have an idea already of what that is. Is it made up of a giant chessboard where chess themed people play?" "That is exactly what that is" Alice chuckled. "I would leave now, but I'm curious to find out why he was afraid" claimed Alice. "Alice, i thought you came here to prove this was real, and we've already achieved that, don't you think you're rushing into something?" asked Reggie. "Oh honestly Reggie, you sound just like my family" huffed Alice.

"Hey i never said you can't do it, I want to explore too, i'm just thinking of the consequences" Reggie defended. "I've been to the chess kingdom before, there were not that many threats there" she explained. "I suppose some threats are a part of exploring. We better get going then!" Reggie smiled and ran ahead. "Well wait for me Reggie, i'm the one who knows where it is" Alice tried to catch him. After dodging bushes that seemed to wave around and jumping the branches that fell to the floor, they arrived at a land mapped out by square's, although they weren't visible, and the pair gazed among the lands. "I take it the royals will be at either end of the land" figured Reggie. "Well actually, i remember from last time at the end of every game the heads of the land gather round for some sort of party. I just hope that is now" said Alice. It was just then Reggie spotted some sort of small character walking along to the left of the direction Alice and Reggie were facing at the bottom of the hill.

"Alice look, down there" Reggie pointed. "I see him too, excuse me, sir!" Alice and Reggie ran down the hill. Alice had some trouble running down a steep ground, but Reggie had no problem and helped Alice down. "Excuse me sir" the small white clothed man turned to the children. "I'm sorry to trouble you, but has a game of chess been played recently?" "Why yes it has dear girl" the small man replied to Alice. "It has just finished as a matter of fact, not that i had any part of it. Would you two like it if you had to stay stationary?" he asked. "Oh you have no idea" both Alice and Reggie said in sync. "Oh stationery is a crime towards us all. There is no point in being appointed for a task and then not told to carry it out." "Yes i agree, but can you tell us where the white and red royals are?" asked Reggie. "At the party of course" he replied. "And where is that?" Alice asked further. "At the end of the chessboard, everyone knows that" he answered. "But where-" Alice was interrupted by Reggie. "Thank you for that information, we'll see you there" he lead Alice away. "Alice, if he's heading in the direction of the party, then it's obviously that way" he whispered while pointing. Alice smiled and wagged her finger in realisation. "You're right, let's go." The pair started to run. "What piece was he anyway?" asked Reggie. Alice replied "I think he was a pawn, like i used to be."

"Oh dear Oh dear, how can my fellow players ever compensate for this loss?" the white queen worried as she transformed into all her chess pieces. "Oh my dear, you can not truly win, until you truly lose" the red queen smiled smugly. "Well, it's easy to say that for you my queen, that legal move you made you may have been illegal if looked closely enough" pointed out the white queen. "Illegal? the only thing illegal about it was that statement" protested the red queen. "Now ladies, there's no need to squabble, that's what the next game is for" reminded the white queen's husband the white king proclaimed. "That's what anything next is for, so we can learn and improve on previous encounters. Now, shake hands" the red king put their hands together. "I suppose there's always next game" admitted the white queen. "Yes, now there is a place for us all at the table" the red queen ushered.

Alice and Reggie managed to get past a hedge to approach the party, they were stopped by two red knights on horseback crossing their swords. "Stop! What is both of your businesses here?" "Excuse us sirs, but we came here to speak with the royals-" Alice was cut off. "Did you take part in this game?" the other knight asked. "Well no but-" "You cannot just expect to attend the party without playing the game. You cannot claim a trophy for nothing." "I agree sir, at least i assume you've been knighted a sir, but we were given advice to come here by humpty dumpty" explained Reggie. "Ha! The only time we associate with him is when he needs medical assistance." Alice, though she didn't mean anything by it, blurted out "It was about the Jabberwocky poem, and-" "Jabberwocky!" both repeated their horses tugged back. "You'd both better see the royals about that" the knights let them through. Alice and Reggie, looking slightly confused, proceeded through after thanking them. "Why, it's that white pawn who became a queen last time" the white queen noticed and called Alice over to the table. Reggie followed.

"Hello again your majesty" Alice curtseyed and Reggie bowed. "Open your mouth a little wider while speaking child" said the red queen. 'You too' Alice mentally sighed. "What are you doing back here then?" the white king asked and then explained to the red king who she was. "Yes, last time you were here, i had to use the sleeping method when you grabbed me" reminded the red queen. "Sleeping method?" both Alice and Reggie repeated. "Oops, forget what i just said" dismissed the queen. "Well what is it?" asked Alice. The royals looked at each other. "My dear, the sleeping method is when we put humans back into your world sleeping, making them think it was a bad dream they had" explained the red king. "Normally only the doors to the human world can do that, but we chess royals took it from the looking glass entrance as we felt more safe." "Do you know what that means Reggie" she turned to him. "That you weren't dreaming, and we know for sure this time" he finished her sentence.

"Yes quite. Who are you anyway?" the white queen asked Reggie. "Reggie- uh, Reginald Hargreaves" he decided to use his full name in the presence of royalty, and bowed again. "Don't worry about formalities child. They only have most impact on first impressions. Anyway, there must be a reason why you two are here?" "Why yes, we asked humpty dumpty about the Jabberwocky poem, and-" "Jabberwocky!" everyone at the table was taken aback. "Um, why is it everyone seems to be afraid of that poem?" asked Reggie. "Not the word son, but what it's about" told the white king. "You two have been through the looking glass, use your memory of the poem" suggested the white queen. Alice tried to remember it. "Twas brillig, and slithy toves, did gyre and gimble in the wabe, all mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe" she recited. "What _is_ it about?" Reggie turned to the white king. The king recited the poem but said at as more like he was telling Reggie about the beast.

"Beware the Jabberwock my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that snatch! Beware the Jubjub bird and shun, the frumious bandersnatch!" he warned. "So, it's a beast" Reggie realised. "Does it, does it live around here?" Alice gulped and started looking around. "It's rumoured to live all around wonderland" a red bishop informed. "There have been many sightings and hearings and tastings and feelings of the beast that tears you limb from limb" the red queen warned. "Well no wonder everyone's so scared" Alice pointed out. "Why haven't you done anything about it?" asked Reggie. "Why can't we do anything about is the real question" said the red king. "There is a staff children, whenever a Jabberwock is born, a staff is too" the white king told them walking up to them. "You see, most Jabberwock's became extinct years ago, but there is said to be one still around, that will threaten wonderland, but if the staff is found, which controls all Jabberwock's magic, lost years ago."

"Can't you find it?" asked Reggie. "Can't you find it?" repeated the white queen. "You want to find it?" "No, we meant you as in you" Alice tried to explain. "You meant you?" figured the white king. "You'll both help us find the Staff? Why thank you tens of times over children" the white queen smiled. "No that's not what we meant," Reggie tried to explain. "You'll need some help finding it, ask the caterpillar in the hearts kingdom, he's been everywhere" informed the red king. "But we can't-" Alice was interrupted by the white queen ushering away. "We will be extremely grateful. Bring it back to the chess kingdom as soon as you get back to the chess kingdom with it." Suddenly, the part of the ground that Alice and Reggie were standing on lifted up beneath them, in the shape of a chess square. "Take them to the hearts kingdom please" the white queen ordered. The square saluted and flew off, with Reggie and Alice hanging on to the sides not to fall off. "Timer, can you go watch them please" asked the red queen to a small man walking over with a watch. His job was to time each move it took for the pieces to make. He was their version of the white rabbit. "Why me your majesty? But, but," "Make sure the staff is brought back to us" she asked when a chess square lifted beneath him. "But your majesty, oh well" he sighed. "I have to obey the orders of my royals."


	6. Jabberwock

A patch of grass lifted up from the dirt which revealed a path and staircase heading up to ground level. A tunnel that was only there half the time made a pathway for the queen of hearts to walk her way to an abandoned castle just outside the chess kingdom. With her were two card guards and she used a key to enter through a door and made her way inside while the cards stood either side the door. She lit one lamp, which made all the lamps in the castle light up. "Jabberwock. Jabberwock reveal yourself to me!" she called out but he didn't reveal himself. That's when a door closed slightly upstairs and the figure quickly made his way down to her level. "Yes mistress" the man standing before her asked panting slightly. He was blue and slightly scaly, quite big but had an anxious look on his face and was wearing quite strange clothing, but normal for this land.

"Have you, been outside, Jabberwock?" the queen raised an eyebrow. "Me mistress? Oh no, i would never disobey you mistress, why on earth would you think that?" he dismissed nervously. The queen walked over to a table placing down a bag. "Well, the door just closed which you came from, and i would not think that on earth, because we are not on earth, so therefore i am thinking it" she accused him. "Well mistress, i only wanted to see the outside world from this castle, so i just made my way outside-" "Your way!" "I mean, your way mistress! "You mean my way!" "My way, i mean, the queens way." "Very good Jabberwock, now, present to me in your Jabberwock form" asked the royal. Suddenly, the Jabberwock man in front of her started growing, becoming more scaly, his limbs becoming larger and wings growing his back and horns and teeth growing sharper as well as his tail. "Like this mistress?" he asked and smiled hopefully. "Indeed" she replied.

She pulled out a large joint of mome rath meat from the tiny bag and threw it to him in which he gratefully caught in his mouth and slightly burped. "Excuse me" he chuckled. "Now Jabberwock" the queen began to walk the stairs which even they bowed to her. "Let's review a certain topic shall we? Tell me, who is the person, who is your enemy, and the worst enemy, that justifies all other enemies?" she asked. "Her name is Alice" replied the Jabberwock trying to remember. "What has she done?" the queen tested. "She escaped you, and got on your bad side" Jabberwock remembered. "Exactly. And What must you do when you see her?" furthered the queen. "I must," Jabberwock turned his head away and looked down. "I must, kill her." "Yes" the queen chuckled rubbing her hands together. "She's really evil, is she mistress?" asked Jabberwock. "Oh the evilest of creatures and birds and instrument animals. She's a wicked girl, remember everything i've taught you before" she reminded.

"And i have to be the one to-" Jabberwock was cut off. "Who else could do such a task? Who have you known to escape me before?" questioned the queen. "Well, well no one" realised Jabberwock. "There you see, she' dangerous to the hearts kingdom, just as dangerous as the chess kingdom people are" the queen continued. "Jabberwock, the chess kingdom, what is it like?" "They are evil too, they hate us" replied Jabberwock remembering his teachings. "Yes, remember what they will do to our kingdom if they are not stopped. Everyone of us will not be dead, but killed!" retorted the queen. "Just follow my commands when taking the chess kingdom, and our kingdom will be safe." The queen walked back down the stairs and picked up her bag and headed towards the door. "I have duties to attend to, making other people attend to them of course, but for now Jabberwock, the time in near when you will save the kingdom. I will leave you for the time of now, but for the time of later, i'll see you" the queen shut the door exiting. "Goodbye mistress" called Jabberwock. After a while he checked to see if she was completely gone, and seeing that she was, he grew smaller and wings and horns and tail disappeared, putting him back into his human form.

He trotted upstairs to a different door this time, he walked out onto a balcony overlooking the forest. The leaves were changing colours several times as they usually did, and some trees tried being different heights, so the usual. Several instrument animals flew up beside Jabberwock and he acknowledged them. "do you ever think freedom will be bestowed on me?" he asked them. The instrument animals just simply played their own music in response. "wouldn't that be amazing. Not amazing as in going through the mistresses maze but amazing as being free. Getting to live outside in my real form, and not having to conceal it inside here, and live it in here y'know." Jabberwock sighed but then smiled. "I won't be here all the time. My mistress promised me. As soon as i get rid of that evil Alice girl, i can be free and get rid of the evil in the chess kingdom too, and I will be free to live this true Jabberwock form through Wonderland" he smiled and started to daydream. He caressed the instrument animals. "Don't worry friends. I know you can't worry yet since you haven't faced a situation but I will protect you against any evil."

The chess square landed flatly on a patch of grass in a forest bestowed in the hearts kingdom. Alice and Reggie barely managed to stand up since their legs were shaking. Despite wanting to go on adventures in far away lands, Reggie was not used to flying, and Alice's only real experience in flying, real flying, was falling down the rabbit hole. The chess square flew off with a salute before Alice and Reggie could say anything. "Hey wait! Where do we-" Reggie stopped realising the square could not hear him. "Well, wasn't that ill-mannered" Alice commented dusting herself off. "I suppose he was just doing his job of his royals" figured Reggie. "I was more or less referring to the royals. If one does not want a task, one should not see the authority of that area" said Alice. "Another piece of advice?" asked Reggie. "Well i learned that from my parents i- my parents! Your parents! Reggie if this is not a dream, won't they be wondering where we are right now?" she put her hands on her cheeks in worry. "Oh no, my mother's- wait, Alice, when you came back from this land before when 'waking up from the dream', no one noticed before right?" asked Reggie.

"Well, i suppose they didn't, but this time they might, no wait, we left during the time both our parents let us do whatever we want, well, mine letting me do whatever i want inside the house now" her face became cross again but soon lightened. "But you're right Reggie, they won't miss us for quite some time." She looked around at the forest in which the trees twisted every way imaginable. "Are we really going to achieve that staff? I mean is it our business?" Alice began to walk into the forest with Reggie beside her. "The way I see it Alice, there's a giant creature that could kill people, or, whatever these things are in this land, and there's a big threat out there, and was coming from the monarchy. Why would they talk about a subject so dark, and order us to do something like this if there wasn't a threat to this land. I know we're new here, Victoria wouldn't send the navy to invade lands if there wasn't a threat there. Besides, you don't really want to go back to your parents right now do you?" he smiled.

Alice stopped in her tracks. "I, no, no i don't. C'mon, let's go and find that caterpillar to find that staff." Alice then knelt down and picked up a mushroom for the ground and split it in two. "Here" she said offering it to Reggie. "Take a small bite of this." "Wait, you're just going to eat a random mushroom from the ground?" Reggie raised an eyebrow. "Oh don't worry, these will make us shrink, well this side will" she gave Reggie a small part of it. "How do you know it's the same mushroom?" he asked. "I don't, but what harm could it do?" she took a small bite not thinking about the consequences and suddenly her height decreased as quick as she took the bite. A bewildered Reggie looked to the ground scanning the area for his friend. "Alice! Alice!" "Down here!" she called. He knelt down and studied his friend.

She was now holding the mushroom with both hands. "There you go, i knew there was nothing to worry about. Now, if i recall the caterpillar was somewhere over by the tall trees. If i run i could get there quickly, oh" she remembered her shrunken state. "Do you want me to carry over there?" smiled Reggie kindly. Alice realised her mistake and sighed. "Would you please?" she looked up at him. "Don't worry, just tell me how to find this caterpillar by the tall trees." Reggie placed Alice on his shoulder and began walking up to the trees. "When i met him he was smoking a pipe, and blowing out smoke in shapes of letters of the alphabet. Just look for smoke shaped like that" Alice informed Reggie. They approached the tall trees, or more like the trees approached them somehow, and, although more visible to Alice, they letter shaped smoke rising from the grass, accompanied by some unknown music source.

"Look, down there!" Alice pointed. "You'd better get his size" suggested Alice to which Reggie took a very small bite of the mushroom Alice gave him and, like Alice, his size decreased as fast as that chess square. In doing so, Alice started to fall to the ground, and wasn't at an angle for her dress to act as a parachute. Despite the sudden change to his body, Reggie was quick to realise, and ran into position to catch her, which he did bridal style, and put her back on her feet. "Phew! Thank you" Alice thanked him dusting herself off. "C'mon, the smoke's coming from over here" Reggie ran forward and Alice followed. They each pushed a blade of grass each to the side, and heard that music along with a singing voice, not of a caterpillar, but a butterfly, sat on a flower stamen. "Of course i remember, he changed into a butterfly when i met him" Alice said out loud, which caused the now butterfly to notice them. He blew out letter smoke at them. "Who R U 2?"

 **Well it's been so long since i last updated, apologies. I kinda didn't have any motivation to write for a while. Hope you enjoy this story, found it kinda hard to write the Jabberwock character, hopefully he's okay. Alice in wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll and this version Disney.**


	7. The Tweedles

Both twelve year olds coughed at the smoke although Alice was expecting him to do that. "Why, don't you remember me Mr caterpillar, i mean Mr Butterfly?" Alice waved away thesmoke in front of her and Reggie did the same. "Remember U?" The U shaped smoke swung Alice and Reggie like a horse shoe. "I'm that girl, who you told about the mushroom-" "Whom" he corrected her breathing out an M. "Whom you told about the mushroom and told the poem about the crocodile." "Ah yes, how doth the little crocodile-" he blew out a shape before he was interrupted by Reggie. "Yes pardon me for interrupting sir, but we really came here to ask you something." "Me? Who R U?" "Reggie" "Hmm, that's more of an answer that she gave the first time. She didn't even tell me her name" he pointed out flying down lower. "It's Alice. But we came here to ask you about something" she reminded. "What?" the butterfly placed himself back on the stamen.

"Well we were sent here by the chess royals, since they told us that you've been around Wonderland a lot, is that right?" asked Reggie. "Correct Tically" the butterfly answered. "Then can you tell us where a certain staff is-" "That is two questions, you said you wanted to ask me _a_ question" the butterfly breathed out an A. Reggie paused for a while then smiled. "Yes. Per person" "Oh, I see" he breathed out O I C. Reggie nodded to Alice who nodded back. "Do you know where the Jabberwock staff is?" At the word Jabberwock, the butterfly almost choked on the smoke he was smoking and dropped his pipe almost. "Why?" he breathed out a Y. "Why do you want that?" "Ah now isn't that a question?" "I think that should be repaid with an answer" Reggie concluded. "Very well" the butterfly breathed out a well shape. "Can you tell us where it is?" both children asked in synch.

"In a place of darkness" the butterfly breathed out just black smoke. "I saw it only once, well, the entrance to it." he leaned in closer. "A place where light turns into dark, and where revelations come to light." he finished his riddle and fluttered his wings. "Now if you'll both excuse me, i must be off." He didn't even bother taking his pipe with him. "But wait! What do you mean?" Alice called after him but to no avail. "First the crocodile poem, now this riddle" Alice put her hands on her hips. "Only difference is, that riddle we actually need to solve" Reggie sighed placing his head in his right hand. "Oh Reginald, do we really need to go on this quest?" alice sighed sitting down and moving her skirt outwards to do so. "I suppose we could go home. Although, _i_ would certainly like to do this. But you must understand, i'm not trying to fulfill a hero complex or anything, i just-" A scream was suddenly heard from the distance.

Both Alice and Reggie turned to the direction they heard the scream, even though two figures came running from the opposite direction, which were normal sized compared to the shrunken Alice and Reggie. Considering it lucky they weren't crushed by the first figure, both children jumped onto the second figure and clinged on for dear life. This figure didn't run normally however, he jumped logs and around things in every way possible. Curious to see what this was all about, instead of letting go of this figure when he finally stopped, Alice crawled into his pocket and Reggie did the same. Alice poked her head out looking up. "What is it?" asked Reggie still slightly fazed. "It's one of the tweedles!" Alice realised. "One of the what?" Reggie looked up. "Excuse me! Mr," she looked up at his collar. "Mr Tweedle dee! Down here!" Alice called.

"Not now little creature, can't you see we're hiding for dear life" tweedle dee was hiding behind a log when tweedle dum came up beside him. "Did the scare birds see us?" he asked. "Just keep your eyes peeled." Both tweedles then seem to strip away a layer of their eyes, even though they looked exactly the same afterwards. Reggie stood next to Alice. "did they even acknowledge that there are two tiny people in his pocket?" he asked sarcastically. "At this point i'd be worried if they did" Alice just sighed. "I don't want to get my face all eaten up" complained Tweedle dum. Alice and Reggie helped each other up to tweedle dee's shoulder. "Maybe it's probably lost us" tweedle dum suggested, just as two large vulture birds perched behind them, getting ready to attack.

The vulture's made their attack call before darting straight for the two. Conveniently, this alerted all four of the prey and both tweedles ducked their heads down into their clothes. This happening so fast, Reggie and Alice slightly gasped seeing the two tweedles heads gone, but breathed a sigh of relief when they saw their heads pop up again. When the vultures made a U turn, both children shouted at the tweedles "RUN!" The tweedles actually listened to this advice but ran in several different directions before bumping into each other falling on their backsides, causing both Alice and Reggie to fall off. "I don't understand, why are two vultures, which are smaller compared to you two, managing to prey on both of you?" Reggie managed to ask them despite being small. "You mean scare birds?" asked tweedle dee. "Have you seen those claws and determined eyes. All of them ready to fly down and slash our throats" explained tweedle dum, fear in his voice.

Another call from the 'scare birds' signalled their attack. "How did this even happen?" asked Alice climbing onto tweedle dum's shoulder. "All we did was jump around their nests for ten minutes, now they're after our throats they are!" tweedle dum explained. "I see" Alice's facial expression changed. "We've got to get them away quick!" exclaimed Reggie standing on top of a rock. He desperately looked around for something to grab or climb on. He climbed on a tall blade of grass and onto a leaf. 'C'mon, think Reggie think!' he mentally exclaimed. That's when he noticed the dew on the leaf's which was surprisingly easy to pick up. "Quick! You have to leave here!" Alice tried to convince the tweedles, but before they could do anything, the vultures came darting at them, making them, including Alice scream. But two drops of dew were thrown into the eyes of the vultures, making them swerve in flight. "Vultures!" Reggie shouted as loud as he could due to his current size, and the vultures could understand him.

"If you want an easy meal, aren't i the right size!" he waved his arms then began to run across a branch jumping over and avoiding any smaller obstacles. "Wait Reggie!" Alice called worryingly. "I have their attention, you get them out of here!" he managed to shout back. Alice found that the tweedles have already started running. "Wait no, my friend is back there!" Alice tried to protest. 'They'll never listen to me this size' she thought. But then she remembered, she still had some parts of the mushroom in her pockets. She took it out, the half which Reggie gave her back, and was about to bite it, but remembered what happened last time. She instead licked it and started to grow to the tweedles size, falling to the ground in doing so. Both tweedles stopped at this point since Alice fell in front of them. Realising these two would not think logically, who does in wonderland, she brushed her hair from her face and stood up.

"Why, it's you girl" tweedle dee remembered, finally since she was normal size. "Well yes, why didn't you recognise me before?" she questioned. "You were not the right size" replied tweedle dee. "Contrariwise" added tweedledum. The thought of Reggie came back to Alice. She had to act quickly. "Listen, i need you two to sit down just here okay" she said this in a motherly way like she often would with Dinah. "But what about the scare birds?" "Don't worry, they're not chasing us anymore, see" she motioned behind them, and the tweedles realised they were safe. "Now if you'll excuse me" Alice ran back in the direction she heard the vultures making their noise. Reggie was having a hard time trying to get away. Realising he bit off more than he could chew, he decided to retreat into a small hole inside a tree. The vultures only managed to get their beaks inside. He quickly grabbed a small twig next to him a swung it and jabbed at the beaks.

'Why are they even attacking us again?' he questioned. He remembered what one of the tweedles said to Alice. 'Oh right, but just because someone invaded your space and almost threatened it, doesn't give you the right to attack anyone like this. Yes they went to your area without your permission and started doing all this stuff, but that, but that, wait a second-' Reggie paused in thought until the vultures made another lunge for him. 'No, that still doesn't give you the right to retaliate like this. That's why i'm doing this now' he concluded why he was hitting these birds. Alice caught up with the birds and saw what was happening. She grabbed a stick and tried to shoo one of them away. "Shoo! Go on, leave him alone!" this only worked on one bird however, but Reggie used this distraction to get out of the tree and onto a thin branch, but the remaining vulture clawed at him. Reggie was barely fighting it off with his twig whilst balancing.

Alice quickly took the mushroom and threw a part of it to Reggie. "Reggie, lick this!" Reggie caught it with one hand, and just assumed Alice knew what she was talking about and followed her instruction. Reggie grew to normal size and stood up on two feet. Remembering the vultures presence, he swung at it with another stick, making it fly away. The commotion was over. Alice and Reggie just stood there trying to process what just happened. "Well, that was certainly a lot of excitement" commented Alice. "It's a good thing you decided to come back here Alice, i could've been in real trouble" Reggie pointed out. "Well i knew if i just left you there, you could've been their next dinner" she smiled back. She remembered though how Reggie, despite his small size at the time, offered himself up as bait to save his friend and two people he'd never met, and how he fought with a small twig on a thin branch against a creature twice his size intent on killing him.

She'd heard him before talking about how he wanted to face up to beasts, and she just thought this was easier said than done. But actually seeing him put his life at risk and stand against the birds with no fear, she couldn't help but smile and say "Reggie, i just, i just wanted to say, seeing you do all that, well, you were really brave" she had some admiration in her voice smiling at her friend. "Oh, well, it was nothing really. Had to do something." The tweedles at this point had returned. "Bravo, that was quite a battle." "Quite a battle indeed!" "We would like to give our thanks for ending this whole affair with the scare birds." both of them tipped their hats. "Well, just make sure to keep out of any further trouble" suggested Reggie rubbing the back of his head. "Yes, you don't want to end up in a mess like that again do you now?" Alice rhetorically asked. "First thing to do of course after thanks is to ask if you need us to do anything" explained tweedle dee. "Well actually, we're looking for something, we were already told a riddle by the butterfly but if you two-" Reggie was cut off by tweedle dum. "Riddle? What Riddle?" Alice explained "It's in a place of darkness, where light turns to dark, and revelations come to light." "Hmm, what are you exactly seeking?" they asked.

"Well we're looking for-" Alice was about to explain but she and Reggie looked at each other remembering how everyone reacted to it. "Just something important" she replied. "Well if it's important, you'd better ask them then" the tweedles pointed by the children to reveal two figures watching them, surprising the two humans. "Bye now" the tweedles then bounced away after being the least bit helpful. The children's attention were on these figures. "Why hello there children" the figures greeted. "Um, do you mind introducing yourselves?" asked Reggie. "Oh it doesn't matter, we're just travelling through this forest, nothing much. But we couldn't help overhear that you're looking for something?" one of them asked. "Wait, you would help us just like that?" Reggie sounded unsure. "Well you wouldn't see a small animal on the side of the road in distress and not help it. Seeing someone in need of a direction is a good equivalent" the other figure replied.

Alice and Reggie looked at each other once more before Alice asked "We're looking for a certain something, some sort of staff and-" "Well why don't you try taking the tunnels?" one of the figures suggested. "Tunnels?" Alice repeated. "Yes like this one" the figures pulled up a patch of grass revealing a tunnel leading underground. "I'm still not sure about this, we could end up trapped down there right Alice? Alice?" Reggie looked around to find his friend already in the tunnel. "C'mon Reggie! It could very well be this way!" Reggie sighed before hesitantly entering the tunnel after her. The tunnel closed behind them and the two figures pulled out what seemed to be a seashell. "Your majesty, the Alice girl and her friend are in the tunnel now heading towards the Jabberwocks castle." "Excellent!" the queen of hearts in her castle on the other end of the seashell smiled. "I knew it was her! When i saw her on that chess square!" a card guard holding a telescope exclaimed. "Good work my servants. She's finally back in Wonderland, and when she makes my way to the Jabberwock, well i think we all know" she started to laugh. "With Jabberwock under my control to take down Alice, there will be absolutely no one who can stop me this time or defeat me."

 **I decided to upload a chapter early to make up for the long wait before. Hoped you all enjoyed that chapter, i kind of got caught up in writing this one. I'll try and get the next one up as soon as i can. Alice in wonderland belongs to Lewis carroll and this version disney. Characters such as Reggie belong to me.**


	8. Meeting Jabberwock

The timer for the chess kingdom flew back down onto the ground and stepped off the chess square. "Oh deary me, where have those two humans got too?" he looked around at this unfamiliar kingdom and looked back at his watch. "I was supposed to follow them, and they were supposed to lead me. Oh well" he sighed. "Those two will bring the staff back to the chess kingdom soon anyway" he laid himself down on a small hill just outside the chess kingdom. "They'll have to come back this way anyway to bring back the staff to the kingdom. I mean, why would they go that way or how way or why way anyway? They'll just come back this way and i'll make sure they get the staff safely to the royals."

"I'm just asking, did we both have to go into this tunnel?" Reggie was holding up a torch with his right hand. He managed to feel around for a stick earlier which, using another stick, created a fire on it. "Well how else are we supposed to find the Jabberwock staff?" she made the 'how' gesture with her arms. "Plus i was curious" she added. Reggie was about to ask her if she even thought ahead about running into here, but stopped himself when he remembered she already had enough of that from her parents, and decided not to bother his friend with that anymore. "So those tweedles, who are they?" He changed the subject. "Oh those two? Well i met them before, obviously, and they were just there for telling a bunch of stories, like that walrus and cobbler story."

"What was that about?"

"Oh just about a group of oysters who went off with the walrus when they didn't really know him, and ended up getting eaten."

Reggie smirked. "Was there a particular moral, to that story?"

"Oh yes, if you happened to be an oyster. Human beings however, don't need to worry about things like that. I believe that you know."

"You know Alice, being working class you see a lot of things in society and one thing i noticed is that some people regardless of what you teach them, will hold their own beliefs based on what they've observed. But some people, if you educate them enough, will have any belief you want them to."

"You're very philosophical for this time Reggie."

"Out of all the things we've seen today and you're wondering- never mind. You know i believe that human beings do have to worry about things like that. The empire has to face creatures and enemies all the time. I bet my dad is facing one right now" Reggie added.

Alice stopped at this. She began to debate in her mind whether this was the right time to tell him. Her guilt of knowing this information made her want to tell him. But she knew that if she told him, he would be devastated. The last thing in the world she wanted was to do that to her only friend. She was so lost in mental debate that Reggie noticed that she had stopped and turned to face her. "Alice? you alright?" he asked concerned. It took a few seconds for her to realise that she had stopped and Reggie was asking her why. "Oh um, Yes i'm perfectly alright. Um, Reggie, I think, well, you may not like what i'm about to tell you, but it's something you need to know, you see-" she stopped talking when a light came in front of them and seemed to be leading to an exit. "Look Alice, there!" Reggie pointed and ran towards it. Grateful for that diversion, Alice decided to break the information later.

"Let's investigate" he suggested as both of them cautiously approached the light, but were put at ease when they found out it was just an exit. "We seem to be on the surface again" observed Alice looking around, but stopped when she saw what was in front of her, and just stared at it. "Well thank goodness we're out of there" Reggie put out his torch. "I didn't exactly feel safe down there-, Alice?" Reggie turned to the direction Alice was facing, and saw the same sight. A not very large, but fairly big stone old worn away castle was standing right in front of the pair. The tunnel exit closed behind them, distracting the children's attention for a second, but they quickly turned back to the castle, and then to each other, with the same question on their minds. "Do you think-" Alice was first to ask.

"I don't know. The tunnel did lead us here, if those two figures were telling the truth that is." He walked up beside his friend. "Should we, should we go in? This place is making me feel very uneasy" admitted Alice. Reggie knew the risks, but memories of his father and how he discovered mysterious new lands along with the other soldiers who did the same, despite the danger. He knew he had to be careful. "Only one way to find out" declared Reggie as he moved closer to the castle door. He leaned against the wall next to the door clutching the stick he used as a torch just now. Alice was behind him, and she was clutching Reggie's shoulders, trying to hide her fear, though she wasn't doing it very well. Both children moved towards the door and found it was unlocked. Shouldn't a castle like this be locked? That's what they both thought, but if it was abandoned, that made some sense despite being in wonderland.

The door creaked open and there were some lights inside. Reggie crept in slowly still holding the stick. Alice followed suit, still holding Reggie's shoulders. The door closed behind them which made them both jump at the sound, but then continued to walk around investigating the place. Reggie stepped slowly holding the stick with one hand and held his other arm in front of Alice protectively. "Do you think anyone has been here?" asked Alice. "Probably, this place looks old but, wait, if there are torches lit around this place, then that means-" Reggie was cut off when a door opened at the top of the stairs and a silhouette appeared in its frame. Both children turned to face it. Instinctively, Reggie defensively stood in front of Alice. The two humans were clearly afraid. "Hello?" the figure called. Alice and Reggie didn't answer.

The figure slowly stepped out of the door frame and into the light. He was a blueish colour, and seemed to have scales placed on his skin, giving him a reptilian look. He was still wearing ragged clothes though. And it seemed, judging by the look in his eyes, had some fear in them too. "Who, who are you? What are you doing here?" the blue scaly figure asked defensively.

"We were about to ask you that" Alice informed.

"This is my castle, my home" he replied. "You live here?" Alice asked, becoming less afraid.

"Of course, since i was a cub. I must say and state, i've never had two people like you before come here." he descended down the stairs.

"Sorry for intruding sir" Reggie apologised lowering his stick.

"Oh no, it's perfectly fine, but what are you two exactly?" Jabberwock wondered.

"Well we're from the human world, as they apparently call it" Reggie informed as he did a short bow and Alice curtseyed.

"Humans? I've never seen humans in person before!" Jabberwock became excited, but remembered what he was taught about one certain human. "You two, aren't dangerous are you?"

"Well no of course not, we don't want to harm anyone" Alice explained. "Why do you think that?"

"Well most of my life, i've been taught about a certain human and how evil that person is, i haven't really received any information or knowledge about others" explained Jabberwock. "Judging by you two however, i suppose there are good ones."

"Well yes. You shouldn't judge a group based on what you've just heard about them" Reggie proclaimed. "Then again" Alice realised. "We've just assumed that the Jabberwock creature is a dangerous being from the what the chess royals said."

"Jabberwock? _Chess_ royals!" Jabberwock repeated. His eyes filled with slight fear, but as quick as the white rabbit, he transformed into his beastly form, growing in front of the humans who quickly became overwhelmed with shock and fear, and realisation. Was this the-. He completed his transformation and exclaimed "You're associated with the chess kingdom!" Not knowing exactly what to do, and both filled with fear, one instinct came to the children. Reggie held up the stick in defense again, but quickly shouted "Run!" The children sprinted towards the door which closed and Reggie burst it open for both of them to run outside, and both pushed the door shut. "I don't think he's big enough to fit through there" figured Reggie. "Remember Reggie, this is wonderland. Do you, do you think _he_ is the Jabberwock?" Alice asked. "The jaws that bite the claws that snatch. But then again that could be anything" replied Reggie.

To the children's surprise, the creature didn't come out of the door. Both Alice and Reggie were hesitant to check, and debated mentally whether to run. But Alice's curiosity began to outgrow her fear. She slowly reached for the handle again. "Alice what are you doing?" asked Reggie in a short whisper. But Alice had already slightly pushed the door open and stepped back a bit. Confusion overcame fear and curiosity when they both saw the Jabberwock sat down in the middle of the room looking at the floor quite anxious. He then noticed the children staring at him. "Go away!" he snapped. "I, I don't want to hurt you. But if you try to hurt me then i will have to defend myself." "Hurt you? We don't want to hurt you" Alice explained. "We thought you were going to hurt us." The Jabberwock looked away again. "you're associated with the chess people" he repeated. "What could of they have done to make you act like this about them?" Reggie entered the castle again after assessing the danger, but still remained cautious.

"Well, nothing. But i've been taught all my life how bad and evil they are and what they do. How i have to stand against any of them i see" he explained. "Have you actually been to the chess kingdom?" Alice entered the room. "Not really" Jabberwock admitted. "Then how do you know they're like that. have you really seen them do anything really evil?" Jabberwock just looked at the floor again. "But they, all the things i've heard about them." Alice, looking at this creature with mixed feelings, slowly walked up to him. still in his mighty Jabberwock form, came up to one of his claws and placed her hand on it very gently. "Are you the Jabberwock?" she asked caringly. "Yes" he replied without looking up.

Observing that this so called 'dangerous beast' was acting so gentle, so emotional, both Alice and Reggie looked at each other and without saying anything agreed that this creature was not exactly what they've all heard. "Are you going to attack us?" asked Alice. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I only want to defend against the evil people i've been told about." Reggie took a few steps forward, and placed the stick he had in his hands on the floor. "I'm not going to hurt you" Reggie declared. 'They seem, so innocent. They said themselves they're not a part of that kingdom' Jabberwock thought. He transformed back down to to his human form. He was quite tall. much taller than Alice and Reggie. "What brought you here?" "Well actually, you did" smiled Reggie.

"What do you mean?" asked Jabberwock confused. "Well you see, originally, we were going to find something. something that affects you" explained Reggie. "We're looking for the Jabberwock staff-" Alice started to explain but Jabberwock repeated her words. "Jabberwock staff!" he exclaimed. "Yes, you know it?" Alice put her hands together hopefully. "Of course. Someone should know about something named after his species. It's the staff that controls my powers. Jabberwock staffs have existed since the beginning of wonderland. I know this because Jabberwocks are born with this information, it's in our nature." "Powers?" asked Alice. "When i'm not in my Jabberwock form, i have all sorts of powers" he demonstrated by shooting fire out of his index finger, and put his hands on a table and shapeshifted it into a bouquet of flowers, handing them to Alice. "Why do you want that? Did the chess people put you up to it?" he became defensive again.

"No we, well, at first yes, only because the chess people are afraid of you. Now we're not so sure, after seeing you like this. Do you know where it is?" asked Reggie. "Of course, it's on a small island inside a cave, on the sea the dodo sails on." "Then why haven't you retrieved it yourself? You can easily fly over there" continued Reggie. "Well, you see kid, i can't actually go outside in my Jabberwock form, not physically anyway." "Why because you can't fit through that door?" Alice naively asked. Both Jabberwock and Reggie looked at her. "Oh sorry, stupid question" she turned away embarrassed. "It's okay" Jabberwock smiled. "Watch this" he transformed into his Jabberwock form and seemed to unscrew the roof off. He moved upwards but immediately crashed into some invisible force field. "Goodness! Are you alright?" Alice became concerned.

"I'm fine" Jabberwock assured screwing the roof back on. "But what about your human form?" continued Alice. "I'm not exactly allowed out of here, my mistress won't allow it" he explained. "Mistress?" asked Reggie. "The queen of hearts" Jabberwock replied. Both Alice and Reggie looked at each other exchanging worried glances. "She raised me here, but i'll get into big trouble if i left." "She doesn't have to know though does she" suggested Alice after a while. "You mean? No i couldn't" protested Jabberwock. "The Staff controls your powers right? Well in that case, couldn't we use it to let you outside in your Jabberwock form?" figured Reggie. "And then we can take you to the chess kingdom and show you that they are not really that bad!" Alice excitedly exclaimed. "Well i-" Jabberwock stopped and began to think.

'You always wanted to go out in your Jabberwock form. But your mistress, she doesn't have to know right?' "Are you sure the chess kingdom won't attack me?" he became concerned. "I'm positive. They're just as afraid of you y'know" Alice said kindly. "Besides, they can't hurt you if _we_ have the staff can they?" pointed out Reggie. Jabberwock smiled. "Yeah, yeah alright. Well, in that case i await your return kids! Have a safe journey." "Thank you Mr Jabberwock, we'll make sure you are freed very soon" Alice curtseyed. "Farewell!" Reggie waved and walked out with Alice. Jabberwock waved back and his animal friends flew up beside him. "Would you believe it? Two humans as innocent as that, wanting to help me out of nowhere. If two humans as good as that are saying that the chess people are actually not so bad, maybe i should judge them myself. Still, those two kids are nothing at all like that evil Alice girl i've heard about."

Both kids made they're way back into the forest from the castle, and Alice was buzzing. "Well wasn't that a turn out. A big mighty fierce creature actually an afraid indoctrinated being who doesn't really want to harm anyone. He's nothing at all like the Jabberwocky poem!" Unlike Alice however, Reggie was just walking quietly, smiling occasionally when Alice looked at him. After she stopped talking, Alice noticed the look on her friend's face. "Reggie, what is it? You looked troubled" she came up to his side. "Nothing, it's just," he replied. "Just what?" she was curious. "Well we just believed what everyone had to say about him. What would have happened if we found the staff first and handed it over? We would've killed an innocent being. What kind of heroes do that?" "Well it's like you said Reggie, don't always assume what you hear about someone is true."

"Not just that, but when he first transformed into his Jabberwock form, I, I was terrified. I always wanted to face a beast myself, and for a while i believed i could after you told me how brave i was earlier. But all i did was run. I turned and fled, making sure you got out as well of course. I'm nothing special." "You made sure i was safe" Alice pointed out. "Hm?" Reggie looked up. "I do believe a hero knows when to take fight or flight. But he always puts his friends before him. Thank you Reggie." She kissed his cheek and held his left hand. "Now let's find that staff shall we?" She ran ahead into the woods. Reggie just smiled and ran too.

 **Longest chapter so far. I'm worried that the second half of this seems a bit rushed. Mainly because of length. Hoped i wrote Jabberwock's character okay, i struggled with him a bit. Please review, i'd like to know what you guys think of my very first fanfic. Alice in wonderland belongs to Lewis carroll and this version disney.**


	9. The ship

Despite not recognising a single thing in this forest, Alice and Reggie were determined more than ever to find the staff. Only problem was, they had absolutely no idea where this sea was. Alice had been here before but she admitted that she became lost on that first visit. It seemed wonderland changed every time and was impossible to navigate. "You'd think that the Jabberwock would tell us which direction it was in" figured Reggie. "Well you can't blame him if he's been in that castle all his life" replied Alice. "How _are_ we going to get to that island?" Reggie wondered. "What i'm worried about is that will the sea even be there?" admitted Alice. Reggie was about to ask what she meant by that, but remembered how this land could be. "You don't think that the sea in this land changes location every so often?" he just asked.

"I hope not or we'll never find it and free Jabberwock" worried Alice. The two continued walking "Y'know i always thought beasts like that were threatening and savage killer creatures, but seeing Jabberwock so vulnerable like that" Reggie confessed. "I know, the Jabberwocky poem is a big misconception" replied Alice. Just after Alice had said that, Reggie swore he could hear that exact poem being recited. He dismissed it at first but he kept hearing that same distant voice. "T'was brillig, and the slithy toves, did gyre and gimble in the wabe." "Alice do you hear that?" asked Reggie. The voice continued "all mimsy were the borogoves" Alice stopped and realised "I know that voice." A figure appeared on a tree branch behind them. "And the mome raths outgrabe." Both children turned around looked up to see a smiling purple cat bobbing his head to the tune.

"The cheshire cat!" Alice realised. "Was this the cat you said that recited poetry?" Reggie whispered. "Hello my dear, so nice of you to return here" the cheshire cat lifted up his ears as if tipping a hat. "Why thank you i, wait a minute, i have a bone to pick with you" Alice's expression changed. "A fish bone, i hope" the cat chuckled. "No it is not. When i was here last, you got me in trouble with the queen." "Twice, i believe" the cat kept smiling. "I almost lost my head, i barely escaped" Alice retorted. "Oh losing your head isn't so bad" said the cheshire cat lifting off his head. "It is when your life depends on it" Reggie muttered to Alice who agreed. "Look, we're not here to hold grudges, we just want to know how to get to the sea by the dodo, apparently" he added. "Well that depends if the sea is even there anymore" smiled the cat putting his his head under his arm, before his body became invisible.

"Could you tell us which direction it would be please?" Alice persisted. "How can you find it though, if you don't know where i am?" his head became invisible. Alice sighed again. "Look Mr Cheshire cat, i don't have time for this, we just-" "No one has time, it is not owned my dear" the cat interrupted her. Pawprints on the floor became separated and two each went under Alice's and Reggie's legs and went into the bushes next to them, whilst his head appeared on their right. "I don't want to play these games, can you please just tell us?" Alice asked again. Reggie on the other hand, could hear some rustling behind him. He noticed out the corner of his eye that something invisible, something the height of a cat's body, was moving through the bushes. He placed his hand on a branch and felt like that it was being leaned by something with the weight of a cat.

"Well i could say where it is, if i was all there myself" the cat chuckled again continuing to frustrate Alice once more. "It's a good thing we have all of you then" Reggie remarked gaining the two's attention, as he was holding the cheshire cat's body. "Where did you get that?" the cat asked starting to frown. "Get what?" teased Reggie. "My body" "What body?" Reggie was the one smiling now. Alice then realised what Reggie was doing and joined in. "You're right Reggie, i don't see a body." "You're holding it" said the cat becoming frustrated. "holding what?" Reggie shrugged his shoulders still holding the cat's body with one hand. "oh dear, if only we knew where the sea might be?" Alice pretended to wonder placing a finger on her lips. The cheshire cat frowned. "In that direction" his body being held Reggie pointed in a direction. "A few long short miles from here." "It's been a pleasure Mr Cheshire cat" Reggie threw back the body to him.

His body landed on it's feet like a cat and his head floated back down onto it. His tail brushed in front of him and he became invisible. "I think we should head on now" he suggested to Alice. As the two started to move, the cat appeared on the branch behind them. "Just remember" the children turned around after the cat spoke. "The queen has not lifted her grudge from the last time my dear" he started chuckling again and bobbing his head from side to side starting to become invisible. "And the mome raths outgrabe" his smile was the last thing to disappear. Both kids looked at each other "I think we'd better stay away from her castle during our venture here" suggested Reggie wisely. "Agreed" replied Alice and the two continued to walk. "How did you find his body though? It was practically invisible" wondered Alice. "Well, i just used my other senses. I felt like there was something behind me and heard some rustling and used that to grab it" Reggie explained honestly. "Really?" Alice asked. "Yeah, i just used what i learnt before" concluded Reggie. Alice smiled, she wondered how many more times her friend was going unintentionally impress her today.

"I hope it isn't too far away, i really don't to walk for much further" admitted Reggie. "What happened to that mushroom we had? We could use it to grow right now so walking there might seem quicker" suggested Alice. "I think i dropped the last of it when we encountered those vultures" Reggie figured. "So that was the cat that recited poetry you mentioned yesterday" he asked smirking. "Oh yes indeed, knowing him he'll show up again somewhere-" Alice stopped when she saw through the trees that a familiar house was standing there and looked like it had just gone under some sort of repair. She remembered it. "Reggie, look over there" pointed Alice through the trees. "A house?" Reggie said. "It's the white rabbits house!" Alice explained running towards it. "His house? he owns a house? Well i suppose his burrow is being used as a passageway" Reggie figured. Alice ran up to the garden fence and Reggie followed suit.

"What are we doing here then?" asked Reggie. "The white rabbit keeps some cakes in his house, cakes that make you bigger like the mushroom, that way walking there will seem quicker" Alice explained. "Hm, i suppose, what's the white rabbit doing with those types of cakes anyway?" asked Reggie. "I, I actually don't know" Alice admitted, approaching a window. She knocked on it, no answer, so she opened it herself. "Reggie give me a boost" Alice requested. Reggie came over and knelt down putting his hands together for Alice to stand on.

"You sure he's not home?" whispered Reggie.

"Doesn't look like he is. I wonder if he's having tea with the march hare, mad hatter and dormouse. Although if he works for the queen probably not."

"Mad what now?"

"Window's almost open, there we go" Alice started to climb in.

"Last time we broke into a house and the only time was your house when no one was home and you locked us out" Reggie remembered.

"How was i supposed to know there was a key under the matt the whole time. Ah finally, i'm in. I'll unlock the front door for you" Alice ran towards the front door unlocking it letting in Reggie.

"The cakes are upstairs, could you stay here and watch for anyone" asked Alice as she ran upstairs.

"i hope this doesn't count as stealing" Reggie muttered as he fiddled with a few things on the table beside him. He played around with a blue headscarf with a name on it. 'Who's mary anne?' he wondered as he put the headscarf in his pocket. "I found the cakes that make you bigger!" Alice called from upstairs. "Ok good now we- wait, Alice don't eat it now!" Reggie was cut off when he was forced to jump out the way of a growing Alice. "Oh i forgot this happened last time" she scolded herself. "Reggie could you do me a favour and hand me one of those carrots outside please?" As Reggie managed to climb out of the wreckage, he stumbled over to the garden pulling out a rather large carrot, and gave it Alice's rather large hand. "Thank you" she took the carrot and licked it returning her to normal height. Making her way out the house after taking another cake she said "Well that wasn't very wise of me, let's try that again."

She took another bite a grew once more so her head was above the tallest trees. She let down her hand for Reggie to step on and placed him on her shoulder. "Do you think the rabbit's going to be happy about his house?" asked Reggie looking down. "Well, if he cleaned it up before" Alice began to walk. "So we're just going to ignore that?" Reggie rhetorically said. The children managed to cover a lot more ground with Alice having grown a lot more, in size that is. "Do you think we're close?" Reggie looked at the ground. "I'm not sure" Alice replied pushing through the trees. "I'm not exactly sure when- wait look" she pointed towards an open field which was just bare. "I think i remember, this was where the ocean is, or was, at least. Remember what the cheshire cat said about the ocean not being there-" as she was saying this, she accidentally brushed her arm across a branch leading to a cry of "Serpent! Serpent!"

"Oh no, this again" Alice rolled her eyes. "and i thought i finally got away from you! You serpents are so slick, after my eggs again are you?" the old bird accused as she flew back to her nest grabbing her eggs. "Who the heck is this?" Reggie watched the bird pick up her eggs and move them to a different tree. "Oh where's that carrot, i can't be dealing with this" Alice huffed searching in her pockets. But before she could get the carrot, the bird started pecking at her. "Go on! Shoo! Leave my eggs alone you serpent!" the bird pecked at her head. Alice tried to swat her away. "Do you mind not pecking at me!" Alice protested, before the bird pecked at her eye. "Ow" Alice started rubbing her eye, whilst at the same time, Reggie managed to grab and snap a branch off a tall tree next to them and aimed it successfully at the bird, as it hit her forcing her away from Alice.

"Well, how rude" the bird retreated back to her nest. "Alice are you alright?" Asked Reggie concerned. She continued rubbing her eye "Yes i'll be fine. But my eye really hurts." As she said this, one tear from her eye fell to the land in front of them, creating quite a large area of water. As tears kept coming from Alice's eye, a large ocean began to form in front of them. "If the ocean is still of course" Reggie remembered the cheshire cat's words. "Well now it is! Alice see." When Alice realised the ocean of her tears had appeared in front of her, she smiled and took out the carrot. "Why that's how it happened last time!" she licked the carrot and rapidly started to shrink to normal size, forcing Reggie to grab onto a few branches to the tree next to him. He climbed down next to Alice who was standing up dusting herself off. She kept part of the carrot in her skirt pocket.

"Could you give me some type of warning first?" asked Reggie rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, i was too distracted by that loud, assuming, squawking roast dinner" Alice huffed looking in the direction of the bird. Reggie chuckled remembering her tendency to insult creatively when angered. Alice had shrunken faster than her last tear, and the children watched it fall into the now ocean making a splash. After that however, an island seemed to appear not to far across the ocean. The area which was just plain just now, now had an ocean and an island. "Look! There it is!" Alice pointed. "How deep do you think this is?" Alice put her foot in the water to measure. "That seems to be a way across, i think" Reggie pointed to something on the water and Alice looked over after shaking her foot dry. The dodo himself sat on the giant blackbird, using his beak as a boat, and being pushed by a another whom was green.

As usual, he was singing some old sea shanty whilst smoking a pipe. "That's the dodo! Oh Mr dodo! Over here!" Alice called from the shore. The dodo, whilst still humming, briefly looked up from his pipe, then stopped singing and exclaimed "Land Ho! Onto the shore my boy, hurry!" With a last wave barely missing Alice and Reggie, the dodo washed up on land with his blackbird wedged in the sand. "I declare this land, well it's already wonderland, can't declare something that already belongs to someone." "Yes i completely agree myself sir, but may we borrow your, boat, please?" asked Reggie stepping forward. The dodo just looked at him. "Boat? That's no boat." "Well Yes but you see-" the dodo interrupted Alice. "For two people that is! _This_ is a ship for a group." An opening appeared in the ocean, and rising from it majestically, was a wooden large ship with white sails. Both Alice and Reggie's, but mostly Reggie's, eyes lit up at the sight.

"This is the finest vessel in the seas of wonderland! A beauty to say myself" The dodo admired it. "And you're going to let us use it?" asked Reggie hopefully. "With my supervision of course!" the dodo replied. Alice and Reggie took this as permission to climb up the rope leading to the deck. Reggie made it up first and helped Alice on deck holding her hand. "Should we really trust the dodo sailing this thing? I think one should inspect a vessel before sailing" Alice gave advice but winked at Reggie. Reggie smiled as he ran to explore the ship. He ran from one part to another in a childlike way, like a kid in a sweet shop. Alice couldn't help but giggle at seeing her friend doing this. "The fore and main mast seem strong, and the flowing inner and outer jibs are up nicely" Reggie inspected excitedly using ship terminology. "Are we all ready to set sail captain?" Reggie mimicked a sailor voice.

At the wheel, the dodo replied with "all sails secure. at the ready." "Excuse me sir, but why is a dodo like you a sea captain anyway?" Alice asked curiously. "Well we dodo's certainly can't fly can we" he laughed as several birds who could fly started blowing into the sails and flapping their wings to create wind. The ship headed off a quite a fast start which caused Alice to fall back, but instead of feeling the impact on the hard wooden floor, she felt a pair of arms catch her. She looked up to see Reggie smiling at her. "New to sailing Alice?" he smiled and put back on her feet. She couldn't help smile and jokingly replied "Well you've never been on a ship either" she watched Reggie run to the ship's bowsprit. She put a hand to her cheek. Was she, blushing? "Well i think we are on a smooth and steady course" announced the dodo descending down some stairs. "We shall be there in some time. I would say _no_ time, but what is there to be without time eh?" he chuckled.

Reggie was at the bow taking it all in. Here he was, sailing on a ship to explore unknown lands. To find something no one has found before. It should belong to Jabberwock of course, but he couldn't help feel excited to be the very first one to claim it. He didn't want to go to any unknown land and take any power there at all. All he wanted was to explore the unknown land and help anyone he could. This made him remember a letter his father sent him a year ago, saying how the natives of a certain land handed over their resources to the empire as a thank you for protecting them. But Reggie remembered how confused he felt though, as he heard some soldiers at the harbour unloading the goods talk about gunning down certain people of that land who tried to stop the empire from taking the resources. Why would they give them to the empire if they were just going to fight for it back afterwards? And why would the empire gun down people that he was told they were protecting?

The ship rocked slightly, bringing Reggie out of his thoughts and he turned to ask the dodo "Why is the ship rocking like this Mr dodo? Can't you keep it's course smooth?" "Well there's not much i can do about that my boy" replied the dodo fiddling with his pipe. "Why not" Alice asked. "Because of the storm" he replied. "Oh i see- Storm!" Alice exclaimed looking over to the left seeing a dark sky turning into a circle of clouds which thunder and lightning coming from it, not to mention the wind blowing the ship. Reggie came back to the deck "quick! Turn the sails away from the wind, it'll push us out of the storm!" "We only wanted to go to that small island" Alice managed to shout over the raging wind. "Well i wish you two would of told me that" retorted the dodo. Before the three could reach the sails, the ship was blown into some rocks knocking all three to the side. The ship was stuck there, slowing filling with water and sinking further down.

 **I'm so sorry for the long wait since i last updated. Things to do with college keep coming up which are very distracting. To be honest, i'm not proud of this chapter that much, felt like i could've written this a lot better. Please review and give your feedback/criticism, i'd love to read them. Alice in wonderland belongs to lewis carroll and this version disney.**


	10. The staff

In wonderland, water seemed to fill ships much faster and laws of physics seem to just be denied. Half of the ship was now underwater. Desperately hanging on to the side of the ship, Alice Reggie and the dodo tried, and failed to cling on. As the three fell in the ocean made of Alice's tears, natural instinct kicked in and they desperately tried to reach the surface. Each gasped in a breath of air after reaching it. Luckily, the storm blew the ships onto rocks near the island. "Quick the island!" Alice pointed. All three tried to swim to swim but kept being pulled under by the current. Alice grabbed onto a rock that she was pushed by just in time, and used all the strength she could muster to climb herself up on top the rock.

She desperately looked around "Reggie! Mr dodo!" The last of the ship succumbed to the tide and was taken underwater by the sea. "Mr dodo! Reggie!" she shouted again becoming more and more terrified that they didn't make it. Suddenly, upon another wave, the blackbird with the dodo sat on top of him. "Ho ho! Look who came back for me eh!" the dodo laughed. "A storm has never gotten the best of me before." "Mr dodo! Have you seen Reggie!" Alice shouted getting straight to the point. "The boy? Not since he was dragged underwater by the current." "What!" Alice exclaimed. "Oh no no no no no! Reggie!" she called out again. Under the water, Reggie was slammed into the wall of rock that was the island and pushed against it. Although weak from lack of oxygen, he climbed up, or more like swam up whilst grabbing the rocks, to the surface and gasped in air when he did, and tried all he could to climb onto the island, which he luckily succeeded.

He knelt there coughing and his back aching from being slammed against the island, but he was still in one piece. Alice finally looked over to see him, and her wave of relief was greater than any of the waves crashing around her. Barely managing to stand up, Reggie stumbled to the edge of the island and saw a long strong branch in the water. He reached down grabbing it, and managed to place it across to the rock Alice was on. "Alice! Use this to get across!" yelled Reggie. Alice glanced down to the raging ocean that she made. Reluctantly grabbing hold of the branch, she jumped in and held on with all of her strength, and slowly made her way across to the island. Reggie stood on the rocks on the edge, but steadied himself when he remembered what happened with Dinah. Alice was almost there, Reggie outstretched his hand and the two reached for each other, and thankfully, they grabbed hold of the other's hand. Reggie pulled her up.

Alice fell forward onto her knees coughing, her blonde hair in a mess. Reggie slumped down against a rock and the two tried to catch their breath. "Well i see you two have made it after all!" the dodo called from the sea. "Good luck in your quest children!" the dodo sailed away as it started to rain on the sea of tears. The island Alice and Reggie were on was fairly small, it just had one large cave in the middle with a tall spire. Both of them ran inside the small entrance to the cave to shelter from the rain. "I'd never would've imagined i could drown in my own tears" Alice rinsed out her skirt, which surprisingly became completely dry after she did so, and sat down against the wall of the cave entrance. Reggie sat down beside her running his hands through his wet hair. "We barely made it out of there" he had a distant look on his face, lost in thought how he and his friend almost, almost drowned.

First Dinah almost drowning, now themselves. He was lost in thought until he realised his friend sat next to him holding her arms shivering and tried to hide it. Reggie just took his brown jacket off, rinsed it out as best he could, which also became completely dry, and put around her shoulders. "Thank you" she softly said. Luckily Reggie's white scruffy shirt was long sleeved too.

"Alice, this is getting too dangerous. We could've died."

"I suppose we are not meant to carry out a simple quest in a land which is anything but simple" she admitted.

"We'd better decide what we want to do soon, there could be no turning back from this" Reggie realised.

Alice began to think at this. She had only originally come here to prove to herself she wasn't mad, ironically. But all this then happened, and she and her best friend just nearly drowned, which she felt guilty about since she's the one who dragged him into to this. This Jabberwock staff and going on this quest, it was too much-, Jabberwock. Alice remembered him, how vulnerable and depressed he looked when talking about having to attack members of the chess kingdom, how all he really wanted was to be free, free from that castle and presumably, the queen of hearts. She knew if she left now it would be the same as abandoning Jabberwock. Reggie was having the same thoughts too. He sought to himself that he would complete this quest, and never give up, despite how many obstacles got in his way, and protect the creature in need, in this case Jabberwock. That's what makes someone decent, that's what makes a man, that's what makes a hero.

"Alice" "Reggie" they both said each others names in sync. "We can't give up, despite the danger" proclaimed Reggie. "Yes, i'm not prepared to abandon Jabberwock just like that. It's not right he has to be trapped in that castle for being what he is" declared Alice. "It's funny isn't it" Reggie stood up. "Everyone just assumes he has all the power to do what he likes and has a lot of privilege just because he's a Jabberwock, but if they bothered looking they'd find that he's the one with the least amount of freedom, trapped in a life he can't escape and everyone thinks it's okay to bash him because, well he's a Jabberwock." Reggie offered his hand out to Alice. Alice smiled at his very true statement and took his hand. "Let's continue, we are so close now anyway." As both children turned towards the tunnel in front of them, one sentence came to them both "A place of darkness, where light turns to dark and revelations come to light" as they both finished saying this, all the light in the tunnel faded out.

The only light was a silver faded light at the end. There was nothing to make a torch out of, so they relied on the slight light at the end of the tunnel. They stepped carefully and slowly, holding each others hand. Neither of them said a word until the end of the tunnel, which approached them, instead of them approaching it. The end of the tunnel revealed a room, well, more like a cave, a rather large cave, with silver light from the roof of the cave shining on the centre of the room. In the centre, was a large pile of rocks taller than Alice and Reggie, and at the top of this pile, some sort of staff with two upward curved metal parts sticking out the top of it, was wedged between the rocks. Alice and Reggie approached the rocks slowly and stared at the, what they now realised was what they were looking for. "Is this?" "The Jabberwock staff" Alice finished Reggie's sentence.

Indeed it was the very thing, the very object of their quest, standing there up on the rocks, like Aladdin's lamp or king Arthur's sword, calling to them. "Oh we found it! We really found it Reggie! How wonderful!" Alice clasped her hands together in happiness. Reggie just smiled still looking up at the staff. He was still very wary though, as he remembered what it did: control Jabberwock's power. He and Alice stepped into the light shining on the staff, and slowly and carefully climbed on the rocks to reach their goal. Very slowly, they got to the top and, although hesitantly, put their hands on the staff. "Careful Alice, we don't know what this thing can do" "On three, one, two, three!" They both pulled and although they struggled, they broke it free, causing the rocks they were resting on to tumble. Both children fell, and braced themselves when they fell, but remarkably, the staff in Reggie's hand fired a beam of light down at the rocks below them, and turned the rocks into several layers of feathers.

When they landed on them, it took a while to realise what just happened. They both were kneeling now, looking at the feathers below them, and then turned back to the staff. "Did it just?" Reggie was speechless. "That's, incredible" Alice expressed. Both examined the staff, wondering if that is how it used the Jabberwocks power. Alice took the staff in her hands and stood up. "We have to handle this carefully, we don't know what else it can-" she was cut off as a beam of light shot from the top of the staff to the wall next to them, blasting a hole to the outside of the cave. Both just stared wide eyed at the now hole in the wall. "Um, you hold it" Alice gave it back to Reggie. "How did you?" "I have absolutely no idea" she admitted.

"We have to get it back to Jabberwock, we don't really know how to use this thing" proclaimed Alice as she made her way to the hole in the wall she accidentally created. Reggie stood in thought for a second, and his facial expression changed. 'What if this is all a ruse? What if he want's us to bring him the staff to just free him, then go completely back on his word and attack the rest of Wonderland? He said himself he was raised by the queen.' "Reggie" Alice calling his name shook him out of his thought. "Are you coming?" she stood by the hole in the wall. "Uh, yeah yeah, i am" he walked over to the outside of the cave with Alice where it was still raining, and to the edge of the island. "Any ideas?" asked Alice looking down at the raging ocean. Reggie looked the staff in his hands and thought of an idea. "I don't know how exactly to work this but-" he pointed the staff at the sea and to both of their amazement, it did exactly what Reggie wanted it to do.

It froze a path of ice right across the ocean to the land they originally came from. Both of them gasped and smiled looking at each other, both suddenly jumped back when a massive wave, quite literally, swallowed the ice path. "Oh fantastic" remarked Alice looking down at the floor. "Where is that chess square when you need it?" Then an idea came to Reggie. "Alice, you remember that story we learnt in sunday school?" he asked standing on top of a rock holding the staff with both hands. "You're not planning on what I think you're doing are you?" but as soon as Alice said that, Reggie put his arms out together and moved them apart while holding the staff. He didn't expect it to work, but to both children's surprise, the ocean in front of them started to part, but not in a straight line but more of a zig zag. "It, worked? It actually worked?" Reggie, although in disbelief, started smiling.

"Why that's, incredible" Alice was almost speechless. "C'mon, we'd better hurry back to Jabberwock, he's been waiting for our return no doubt" Alice started to climb down into the pathway where the sea had parted. Reggie thought to himself whilst climbing down 'Jabberwock did look very genuine when he told us about the chess people and wanting just to be free. Maybe he was telling the truth, and we were the ones offering to get to him, before we give it to the white and red king and queen.' He caught up with Alice and the two walked side by side, observing the strange creatures in this society of an ocean. A shark's body with a cat's head swam by, a dolphin wearing a top hat whom occasionally put his head out the water to breath and a figure of a human swimming on top the water who put his head in the water occasionally to breath.

A snake with wings swam through the waters and so did fish with legs, all sorts of creatures were living there. The children finally made it back to the land, and once they did, the sea reunited into one ocean. Alice and Reggie simply stepped out of the storm and back into the woods that wonderland seemed to be populated with. "That staff certainly is very powerful. We'd ought to learn how to control it and keep it out of anyone's way" Alice suggested. "Yeah i agree, but i think we'd better get it back to Jabberwock first, he might know how to control it properly" Reggie figured. Both children turned back to the forest for their journey back. "If only we knew how to get to him" Reggie remarked. And with those words, a light started shining from the top of the staff, a flew down leaving a streak of light behind it, revealing a pathway underground to what the children assumed, was back to the Jabberwock's castle. Alice gasped in surprise at this "Oh! Why how convenient. C'mon Reggie, time waits for no man, well maybe it does here i suppose?" She entered the tunnel and Reggie followed suit, holding up the staff which was shining a bright blue light.

At the queen of hearts castle which was still shaped in every shape possible, loud cheers came from the castle grounds and gardens and mazes. All the card guards and associates of the wonderland royal family were there attending a spectacular celebration, in the form of a croquet game. All sorts of creatures were playing, whilst the royals themselves watched from a long table on a raised platform, accompanied by servants,including the white rabbit. The old tyrant herself, raised a glass. "This a time for peace for us now my subjects! since a war is about to begin, well, a slaughter anyway" she chuckled. "Yes" said the king. "Jabberwock has achieved what you raised him to do nine tenths of his life so far my dear." "Of course, thanks to my incredible servants here" she motioned to the two servants who had led Alice and Reggie to the Jabberwock's castle. "And to _my_ ingenious thinking, Jabberwock has most probably, and most defensibly have murdered that Alice girl and that little friend who was with her. After such a long time i will finally be able to put that blonde haired head onto a spike, and a brown haired one too."

"Might i suggest congratulating Jabberwock on this achievement, you have to visit him later or sooner anyway to prepare him for the attack or take over of the chess kingdom" suggested the white rabbit. "You didn't say _your majesty_." "Oh, your majesty." "That's better, but the attack on the chess kingdom, i'd ought to leave soon to deliver Jabberwock the good news that he is now free from that castle, since he has drawn his first blood now anyway."

 **I'm sorry for waiting so long to post another chapter, and i know it's a short one. I've been working on my other story on this site. Anyway, our two heroes have finally found the staff, at last i know. I do want to focus on my other story since it's a christmas story for a while, but i'll try and update this as soon as possible. Please rate and review.**


	11. Taken

Alice and Reggie walked through the tunnel at a much quicker pace than before, mainly due to the excitement they had now of freeing an innocent creature and showing him what the outside Wonderland world is really like. Of course there was still a lot that the children themselves had to learn about this land, or even unlearn perhaps. The tunnel they were in seemed so much brighter than it did before, and that was because the light the Jabberwock staff was emitting had a much more luminous effect than a simple torch. "Oh just think what will happen when we show him around Wonderland Reggie! All the peculiar sights to see and strange characters to meet. Then again, i'm not sure about the people in this place. So far, Jabberwock's been the only, dare i say, normal and the only sane person in this land" Alice admitted more to herself.

"Do you'll think we'll get a ride from him on his back since he can fly? I mean i wondered what it would be like to fly but that chess square was very, how do i put this, unstable" Reggie pointed out.

"Oh i do hope so. Hopefully one day convenient air travel will be invented in our world. Well there's the hot air balloon i suppose but who would want to fly in something clearly just meant to show off" was Alice's reply.

Reggie decided this was an appropriate time to ask her something that had been bugging him since he first thought of it. "Alice?"

"Hm?"

"When we are finished here, after showing Jabberwock around, and making him realise the chess people aren't all bad and the same vice versa, when we go back to our world, what will we do about this place? Will we ever come back here? Will we tell others about it? It's not like we can dismiss it off as a dream now, even if they try that trick again. We both are here and both know it's real now."

Alice looked down at this realisation and the pair seemed to be walking slower now. Alice thought about this for the first time, and she herself didn't honestly know what she was going to do now Wonderland was confirmed to be real. "We, can't tell anyone Reggie. I know i don't always think ahead about my actions but, if we, if i keep going on about the non-sensical things in this land, people will start to think that i am really insane. I mean, no one believes me now about this place, and to be honest, who can blame them. And yes i know i have an eye witness now"

"Who's that?" asked Reggie.

"You, silly" she chuckled. "Oh yeah" Reggie smiled.

"But you can't start saying that you've seen the same things too because, well they'll think you're insane as well, and, well, they'll know about, how you and I are friends" Alice looked down at this. Reggie realised this too and knew that he too didn't want that to happen. "They wouldn't like it very much if they found out their daughter in the higher class was mingling with lower worthless class eh? Even if it is only just me" figured Reggie. "Reggie none of you are worthless. You're not called the _working_ class for nothing you know. Where would we be without either of us? But you're right, my family would scold me for that, and, and well…" "What?" asked Reggie. "They'll never let us see each other again. I don't want that to happen. Who will i play with? Who would i have conversations with? And i mean a fun conversation, and not a boring one about maths and science which are 'very important for an education' apparently" Alice impersonated her sister's voice making Reggie smile.

Alice however became more serious again. "Who will i have to make me laugh after a bad day or a heated argument with my family? Who will cheer me up after those other girls, the daughters of the friends of my parents, tease me and make fun of me? Who will teach me games and strategy?" her voice became a little softer now. "What will i have to look forward to everyday at half past four?" There was a silence between them now. The only sound for a while was the sound of the pair walking. Reggie had no idea how to respond to this. His best friend just outpoured all this emotion to him, which saddened him a little that she had quite a lot of arguments with her family and associates, and yet made him happy in a way because he made her happy. Alice still had a pretty good life however, living in a big house and didn't have to work to survive, she still got on with her family most of the time, and they did really love her.

Reggie found it ironic in himself how he apparently made her happy but right now had no idea what to say. Alice looked at him. "You're my only friend Reggie." she looked back down at the ground again. "Alice, i don't have any other friends either. I get teased a lot at my school because they think i'm a loner with no one to talk to. I hold back my argument's because i can't, i won't threaten our friendship. I love playing with you and teaching you all these types of games, but most of all, you won't laugh at me or dismiss me when i talk about my dreams, about joining and fighting for the empire. Sometimes knowing that'll i get to play with my best friend later in the day is the only thing that get's me through the work i do to support my family. I miss my father terribly when he's away overseas, but you make it better."

Both children smiled at each other and couldn't help but feel flattered at each other's outpour of truth about the other. They subconsciously held the other's hand and both gained a new type of respect for their best friend. The ice was broken however when Reggie suddenly said "Race ya!" and sprinted ahead. Alice took a while to process but couldn't help but smile. "Reggie! You get back here, you're holding the light remember" she laughed. This was just another way he was cheering her up when she felt down. Something that was giving her more strange emotions about him that she didn't understand. They chased each other until they reached the end of the tunnel, where they stepped out into the crazy familiar forest. The light on the Jabberwock staff went out, and both of them glanced around at their surroundings. "Well this certainly isn't where Jabberwock's castle is" Alice observed. "I think this tunnel lead out to somewhere close to it" Reggie figured. "How do you know that?" asked Alice. "This staff is telling me" "What?" "Look."

Reggie pointed to the top of the staff where a small light was flashing in a certain direction, no matter how much Reggie moved it. "It really wants to be back with it's 'friend' doesn't it" she laughed. "Then let's not delay that meeting any longer" Reggie declared and followed the staff along with Alice. They didn't notice however they were really close to the border of the chess kingdom. The timer for the chess kingdom was sat down by a hill close to the chess border and not far from where he originally landed. He had just woken up from a sleep and glanced at his pocket watch which had unusual symbols instead of numbers on it, but he stood up and said "Has time moved forward that much?" he looked around. "Where are those two children? They should have been back by now with the staff and-" he then saw two familiar people not to far running through and jumping through the trees of the forest.

"Why there they are! What are they doing going over there? Don't they know that i'm back here, the chess kingdom is back here?" he followed them but kept behind them at a distance, not because he didn't want to be seen, but because he was small and wasn't used to climbing over trees and logs. The castle came into view for both Alice and Reggie and they no longer needed the light on the staff anymore, and everything started to look familiar which was strange for Wonderland as everything seemed to change. Alice was holding the staff by now, and the children approached the castle after making their way through the forest. "Were here. We can go in and free him" smiled Reggie although still had that suspicion in the back of his mind that this might be a trick, despite wanting to get rid of that thought. "We'd better not waste anymore time. Let's get inside and show him" Alice declared. Reggie pushed the door to the castle open and Alice followed him in.

On the outside of the castle on a balcony overlooking the forest. He was sat down turning small pieces of stone into fruit for the birds with one wing but managed to fly, who were perched above him. He watched them with slight envy as they flew away into the horizon, without having to worry about 'protecting' anything. Ironic how they only had one wing and they could wherever they wanted and he had one of the biggest wingspans in Wonderland and yet he was confined to this castle, only being able to go out in his human form, which he rarely did anyway due to orders of the queen. He heard someone walk through his castle however and stood up and walked towards the door leading back inside. Both Alice and Reggie called out his name once they were inside. "Jabberwock, are you here?" Alice called out. "We've found the staff, we can finally free you" informed Reggie as he ran up some stairs to find him.

"Over here!" Jabberwock opened the door not to far from Reggie, startling him. "Ah! Oh there you are, don't scare me like that." "Sorry. I see you two have made it back safely, you found the island then. There's more to you two than meets the eye or other senses" proclaimed Jabberwock making Alice blush and Reggie just smiled at the compliment flattered. "You, you did get the staff didn't you?" Jabberwock asked. "Of course, see for yourself" Alice held out the staff. Jabberwock slightly walked forward and looked down from the top of the stairs at the staff. He stared at it for a long time as if examining it, but it was more like he was meeting a long lost brother or something similar. Something you've heard about and is related to you, but never have really seen it before. He smiled after a while. "That's it. That's the staff. This is amazing!" Alice ran up the stairs next to Jabberwock. "Okay, so how do we use it to free you?" "Can i see it?" Jabberwock took the staff in his hands and started to fiddle with it. "Wait Jabberwock, i think we learn how to use it first before-" but before Reggie could finish, a beam of blue light shot out of the staff and destroyed part of the wall and floor next to them.

This caused the floor where Alice and Reggie were to collapse and Jabberwock fell back through the hole in the wall and ended up dangling on the the outside ledge of the castle. Alice and Reggie fell down to the ground floor and the castle. Thankfully they landed on a pile of hay and all falling stones missed them. The staff fell far from them and both children looked up. "Jabberwock! Are you okay?" Alice called out and was replied with "I, I need help!" "Alice are you alright?" Reggie turned to her. "Yes, i should be fine, but we have to help Jabberwock!" Reggie stood up and started to run up the stairs. "Find the staff! We have to help him!" he yelled reaching the next floor which part of it was gone. Alice stood up and darted her head from direction to direction in a panic. Her eyes eventually met with the staff lying on the floor and she ran to it. Reggie suddenly saw Jabberwock dangling off the edge of the now destroyed balcony. "Hang on Jabberwock, I'm on my way" said Reggie as he made his way slowly step by step on the delicate balcony.

Alice picked up the staff and as soon as she did, the door of the castle opened to reveal a small man wearing a strange uniform and had a pocket watch. "The Staff!" he exclaimed laying eyes on it. "Who, who are you?" asked Alice not having time for this right now. "I need to take that staff child, quickly" he said with a concerned face. Alice looked back up at the carnage that the staff caused, and knew she had to be up there to help now. She considered that the staff could just cause even more trouble if she brought it up there, and she had to make a decision fast. So she knelt down and held out the staff to him. "Please don't go anywhere with it" she gave him the staff and hurried up the stairs to help her friends. The timer for the chess kingdom however just examined the staff and ran outside with it to complete his task.

Reggie tried to reach his hand out to grab that of Jabberwock's. "Can't you transform into your winged form now?" he called out. "I can't transform outside into my Jabberwock form!" he called back trying to transform but physically couldn't to prove it. Reggie fell forward at this point onto his stomach trying his best not to slide forward off the edge. "Reggie! Jabberwock!" Alice reached the top of the stairs and saw the situation her friends were in. She looked around for something to help them, and luckily, she found some old rope lying on the floor which she picked up and threw it to Reggie and Jabberwock, then ran to a pillar to tie a knot. "What knot should i tie?" she quickly asked. "Tie a clovage knot!" Reggie called back. Alice tied the knot, luckily Reggie had taught her before in the past certain knots. Jabberwock grabbed the rope and pulled himself up. Reggie suddenly fell forward and Alice gasped but he was caught by Jabberwock grabbing his jacket. "You're not dying on me" he said putting Reggie on his back.

Both of them made it up and were now safe. "Oh thank heavens you two are safe!" Alice was relieved and hugged Jabberwock and then Reggie. All of them caught their breath and Reggie broke the silence. "So the staff, where is it now?" "The staff I-, The Staff!" Alice remembered and looked over the edge to the ground floor. "Where is it?" asked Jabberwock. "I gave it to a small person, he was wearing some clothes that resembled a checkered board now that i remember it and-, the chess kingdom!" she exclaimed in realisation. "You gave it to someone from the chess kingdom!" Reggie's eyes widened. "I didn't realise, i just had to get up here as quickly as possible" she knew however that this is one of the worst mistakes she's probably ever made. "Oh Jabberwock, Reggie, i'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight." She put her head in her hands and a few tears started to flow. Both Jabberwock and Reggie looked at each other. "Why didn't you just use your powers to turn one of those stones into a rope and climb up?" asked Reggie. "I could've, but how would i tie it to another end?" Jabberwock explained.

Reggie looked down at the floor for a few seconds then got a determined look on his face. He stood up and declared "Well we'd better go and get it back." Alice wiped her tears with her arm and looked up to see her friend standing over her offering her his hand. "We have to save Jabberwock still, and we're not going to let anyone, or, thing, here stop us now" he said in such a determined but comforting way. Alice smiled at his words and took his hand, helping her stand up. She noticed Jabberwock had such a scared look on his face, and looked rather guilty. "I'm sorry" he sighed. "That was my fault. I caused the staff to shoot out that beam, i just got really excited and i, i caused us to lose the staff. You two wouldn't have to do this if it weren't for me" he finished putting his head in his hands. "Don't worry Mr Jabberwock, we're not blaming you" said Alice with a caring smile. "We'll get it back, won't we?" she turned to Reggie slightly unsure. "Of course. We'll have to convince the chess royals that you're really not going to hurt them, somehow. Unless we can get it back from the small person first of course" he smiled.

"Perfect, we'd better head out right now if we are to catch him" proclaimed Alice. "Just in case though, i think you'd better leave this castle temporally and hide somewhere, because he'll tell them where that we were here and they might investigate" advised Reggie. Jabberwock looked unsure at first, but realised the danger he put himself in, he understood this. "okay" he sighed. "Come on then, we'd better not waste any time. We'll be back as soon as possible, we promise" Alice headed down the stairs towards the castle door. As soon as she headed downstairs, Reggie's determined expression turned into a worried, and somewhat scared one. "Will you be able to get it back?" asked Jabberwock noticing this. Reggie rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. "I, i don't know. I wanted to keep a brave face for her, but really i'm not even sure myself, if we can even save you" Reggie seemed to be disappointed, mainly in himself. "Just to let you know, whatever happens, thank you, anyway" Jabberwock thanked him, wanting to express his gratitude. Reggie smiled. "We'll be back, i promise" he then headed downstairs out the door and joined his friend. "C'mon Reggie, we have to fix this mistake, quickly" Alice grabbed his arm and lead them into the forest.

 **Sorry again for the long wait. I hope you all had a good Christmas and new years. Speaking of christmas, my other story will be on hiatus, since christmas is now over and wasn't getting a lot of views anyway. So i'll continue with this one instead, I'll try to update as soon as possible. Alice in wonderland belongs to lewis carroll and this version disney. certain characters like Reggie belong to me.**


	12. Proposal

"Which way do you think he went?" Alice asked with some worry in her voice. "Look, he's left tracks" pointed Reggie. There were small footprints across the grass that lead through the woods, they were the right size to be the timer's. Alice and Reggie gave one glance at each other and silently agreed this was the way to follow him. They ran as fast as they could keep up with each other. The footprints weren't all on the ground, some went over trees, on the sides of trees, on top of bushes, not through them. Even across the surface of lakes, Alice and Reggie tried their best to look for these footprints and follow them. "Look there's the wall where we saw Mr humpty dumpty!" Alice pointed out. "That must mean the chess kingdom is this way" Reggie remembered. The pair retraced their steps from earlier, until they came across the same footprints. "Reggie, i've found his footprints again, over here!" They continued following the steps to meet with the royals, hopefully before the timer arrived.

"I hope we get there before he does. Maybe we can head him off before he reaches the royals" hoped Reggie. "Oh no, i think we're too late Reggie" Alice pointed to the gates they were approaching and the same small timer, with the Jabberwock staff in his hands, enter the gate. Worry taking over their facial expressions, they slightly sped up and reached the gates to the royals. Once again however, they were stopped by two knights. "Halt! Explain your business here" one of them ordered. "This again?" Reggie questioned. "Please sirs, we don't have any time for this now, don't you remember us?" Alice asked them. "Well, you two do look familiar-" "Jabberwock staff" Alice simply said becoming slightly frustrated. "Jabberwock staff! You'd better see the royals about that" the knights suggested in deja vu and granted the children access. "I knew that would get them, quick we have to retrieve that staff" Alice said after getting through the gates.

When Alice and Reggie reached the table however, both of them gasped. "Oh no, i think we're too late!" Alice realised, as both of them were in time to see the timer hand the Jabberwock staff to the royals. "Ah children, well done, the staff is now safely in our hands" the white king surprised them coming up to them. "Please, your majesty, we need to inform about about something before you use that staff" Reggie protested. "The staff will save us and this kingdom from that dreaded bandersnatching beast, and now thanks to the chess timer, we know the whereabouts and location combined, of this dangerous beast" the red king ignored him. "How do you know the Jabberwock's there, you didn't see him" Reggie pointed out. "The Jabberwock _is_ in that castle, that's perfect!" the white queen exclaimed and Reggie realised his mistake. "We should send some scouting members there straight away, to come back with confirmation, of the beast" the red queen declared. "Oh why did i hand over that staff to the timer, can we just, explain something first, about the Jabberwock-, timer gave it to you" Alice suddenly realised.

A slight smile grew on Alice's face as she pointed out something. "Your timer took the staff and brought it back here." "Well i don't want to boast" smiled the timer. "But didn't you royals send _us_ to take the staff. Weren't we pieces to take the staff" Alice asked rhetorically. "and you're going with this, where girl?" questioned the red queen. "in chess, i believe that only certain pieces can move certain ways, and take in certain ways, and weren't we the only ones to be able to take that staff?" she persisted. Reggie started smiling as he realised what Alice was getting at. "Therefore, the timer taking the staff, was an illegal move" she concluded. "Illegal! That's preposterous!" exclaimed the white queen transforming into several different things, as she still had the ability to do so. "That's nonsensical, that's, true" she admitted to herself.

"That's right, and not just true, we've made an illegal move! All of us have, how do we fix this mistake?" The white king asked. "There's not just that problem" said Reggie stepping forward. "There's two sides in a chess game. Both sides can't own the staff at once now, can they?" Reggie concluded. "Wait a half minute, the boy is right" the red queen stepped forward, the staff still in her hands. Reggie and Alice tensed a bit as they were afraid that she accidently use it's power, but luckily for them, she put it down on the table. "I'd recommend we keep it on the red side, it's the only way to keep it safe." "Wait just a minute, what do you mean it's the only way to keep it safe? What's wrong with keeping it on the white side?" the white queen protested. "We have to settle both of these somehow. We still haven't technically taken the staff legally yet" reminded the white king. Alice grabbed Reggie's arm worried, and looked at him as to say 'we need to suggest something quick'.

Reggie realised this and turned back to the royals. "Your highnesses, since the staff hasn't technically been taken yet, and since we have to decide which side it belongs too, i suggest an obvious way to take the staff for a side to have." "Which is?" said the red king. "We have a chess game for it, whoever wins takes the staff, that way it is taken legally" concluded Reggie. All four royals raised their hands in realisation.

"Of course, we must curse ourselves for not thinking of that" the white king scolded.

"Then it's settled then. In the next chess game we will play for the staff, and the winner shall claim the staff, and use it to defeat Jabberwock" the red king proclaimed.

"Well then will shall be defeating the Jabberwock in no time, isn't that right my bishops" the red queen turned to them as they nodded.

"Your side? I assure you my dear, the white side shall be the one's claiming the staff" the white queen argued as two of her rooks nodded.

"Ha! My dear queen, even though your side gets to go first, you still won't win. We'll claim victory on this game easily" proclaimed the red queen.

"Best 3 out of 2?" said the white queen.

"Do they mean best 2 out of 3?" Reggie whispered to Alice.

"I'm surprised they got it that close" Alice admitted.

Reggie knew either way the chess royals, or two of them at least would get the staff. There had to be a loophole. 'Think Reggie. Remember, strategy is the main thing to be planned before doing anything that you could lose something in. Especially in a chess game, which 50% of it is strategy. Then he got an idea. He pulled Alice aside to discuss his idea while the royals talked about their next chess game. "Alice, you said they let you be a pawn when you first came here right?" "Yes, why do you ask?" "I, have an idea. What if we become pieces in this game? Maybe if we put the last game out of three into a stalemate, that way no one can claim the staff" Reggie explained his plan. Alice thought over this for a while. "What happens to it after though? Say we do get the third game into stalemate?" she wondered. "Well, we were the only pieces so far to be designated to take it, i suppose it would belong to us" Reggie figured. Alice's eyes widened in excitement. "Then we can free Jabberwock!-" she was quickly shushed by Reggie. "Sorry, then we can free him?" she whispered. Reggie nodded.

"Oh that is a genius plan. But Reggie, there is a flaw to this. We may only start off as pawns like last time, and pawns don't control the game" she reminded. Reggie turned to look at the royals. " _i_ might start off as a pawn maybe, but _you_ won't" he smirked. "Me? Why?" said Alice confused. "Didn't you tell me that you were promoted to queen at the end of your last visit here" Reggie remembered. Alice then remembered. "Oh that's right. Excuse me, your majesties" Alice approached the royals. "So sorry to interrupt, but i just want to remind you that i was promoted to a queen last time, so i was just wondering if i could reprise that role?" she asked giving them a hopeful look. "Hm," the white queen thought for a minute then eyed her rival the red queen. "Of course you can my dear, you'll come in after i've been taken if that ever happens" the white queen informed. "Why thank you your majesty" Alice curtseyed. "But i was wondering about something else. Could my friend Reggie here take my place?"

"What?" both Reggie and the white queen said at the same time. Alice took hold of Reggie's arm and brought him over. "My friend here is a much better chess player than i am. He is very good at strategy, and has beaten me several times at the game, he will be a fantastic leader." "Hm, not a bad idea dear girl, as long as he's all you say he is" the white queen agreed. "Oh he definitely is. He-" "Alice, a word" Reggie pulled her aside. "Alice i thought _you_ were going to be a queen for the white side, why are you offering me up?" "But Reggie what i said was true. You're a much better strategist than i am. You've had letters sent to you by your father telling you of the strategies of the empire, don't you want to prove you can do the same?" she hated using his father to get him to do something, considering she knew what happened to his father, but this was for Jabberwock's sake. She put a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. "Do it for your father Reggie. Do it for me. Do it for Jabberwock."

He looked back at the direction Jabberwock's castle and then back at Alice. "Alright, i'll do it." Alice smiled and hugged him. "Thank you. You'll be amazing" said Alice. "Besides, a good hero wouldn't just abandon people in need, and not accept the responsibility to help them right?" Reggie smiled which Alice returned. She started giggling when she realised something. "You know what that means don't you?" "What?" Reggie raised an eyebrow. "You get to be the queen" she giggled again. Reggie paused for a bit then groaned. "Shame there isn't a prince/princess piece in chess" Alice pointed out, giving Reggie an idea. "Excuse me your majesty" he walked over to the queen. "But i've realised there's a power vacuum in your chess set. Shouldn't there be someone behind the scenes advising you where to move? I mean, there's a king and queen, but no prince or princess." "There's nothing in the rules about a prince or princess young boy" the white queen reminded.

"Exactly, meaning that there is no law against it" Reggie played on the insaness on this world. The queen's eyebrows raised as she liked the idea. "Very true Mr Hargreaves." 'We already have a daughter of our own, so why can't we have a prince?' "Ok young boy, meet me and my husband on the other side of the chessboard in three halfs of hours." She then whisked away at an incredible speed, and Alice came up to Reggie. "Now watch this" she said before walking over to the red queen. "Your majesty, since i served as a pawn for the white side in chess before, may it be okay if become a pawn for the red side?" The queen pondered for a while, and just like the white queen, had her rival in mind. "Very well miss, uh," "Alice Liddell, your majesty." "Very well indeed then. We start on this side. Be here for when it starts." "Of course your highness, happy to serve you" Alice waved and walked back over to Reggie.

"Why did you do that?" he asked.

"Because i believe it'll be good to have someone on the front lines of the game."

"Why, do the pieces have free will in this game?"

"They did the last time i was here. Each piece makes his own individual choice on where to move. If they see a chance to take a piece without putting anyone else at risk or themselves, then it's up to them whether they make that choice to move or not."

"I see, but it's going to be pretty hard to communicate with each other if i'm giving advice to the white king and queen behind the lines and you're on the front."

"Well, we could use someone as a go between." Alice suggested.

"Who?" asked Reggie.

"I think you know who" she hinted.

"You mean? No wait Alice, he's never going to agree to come out of his castle, he's terrified of the chess people remember."

"But they haven't seen him in his human form, they won't know it's him" Alice reasoned. "And besides, he agreed to come and see the chess kingdom for himself with us eventually to really see if it was all bad."

"I don't like putting innocent people in the crossfire" admitted Reggie. 'But isn't that what the empire does sometimes?' he thought to himself.

"Reggie he's our only ally, the only sane person in this world of insanity, he's the only person we can rely on" Alice convinced.

Although Reggie didn't like it, they really didn't have any other option. "I admired your decision about the chess game Alice, but this one i'm not so sure about. But, since we have no other choice, you are right, now would be the perfect time to bring him out." Alice smiled and put her hands together before hugging Reggie again. "Oh thank you for seeing eye to eye Reggie. We'd better go and ask Jabberwock to do this for us. After all, this is all for him." Before Alice turned to leave however, Reggie stopped her by asking "Wait Alice" "Hm?" "On the front lines, they don't, kill the pieces do they?" "They _capture_ pieces in chess Reggie, not kill them. The worst that'll happen to me is that i'll be taken back to your side" she chuckled. "Oh, of course" Reggie just smiled. "Still trying to keep me safe are you?" she batted her eyelashes jokingly. "Well you are my friend Alice" Reggie felt the heat come to his cheeks. "Anyway, we'd better get going" he and Alice both ran back in the direction they came from, hoping this plan would work.

 **So i don't know how long it's been. Hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Sorry if the updates are a bit slow, it's a bit hard to get motivated. But i see a lot of people are enjoying this and maybe a review or two might make me update faster. I know it seems a bit back and forth from the castle right now, but don't worry that won't last for long. Alice in wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll and this version disney. Characters like Reggie belong to me.**


	13. Revalations

Jabberwock couldn't help but pace on the top floor of his castle. He knew his life could be at stake. If the chess kingdom got their hands on that staff that controlled his powers, they could easily defeat and kill him, even if he tried to defend himself. In his mind he was debating himself on what to think about the chess people, whether his mistress was right about the chess people and they would attack him out of hatred, or whether to believe the two humans and that they would only attack him out of fear. Perhaps both sides were wrong about the other. His life was depending on the two children now, and he had to admit, he was glad he got to hear from another side that seemed honest, other than his mistress. Speaking of his mistress, she suddenly burst in unannounced, which was rare for her, and had a wide smile on her face. Jabberwock bowed to his mistress.

"Ha ha, well done, my Jabberwock, all of Wonderland will be under a great rule soon enough when i say the word."

"Word, mistress?" Jabberwock looked up.

"The word, the marvellous word, the word i give for you to go out and attack. The moon will soon be whole over Wonderland again, and not separated for two kingdoms, after i take control."

Jabberwock was confused at this. This wasn't making any sense, even for her standards, and normally he could understand speech that did not make sense like a second language. "Um, mistress, don't you remember, i can't go out, not in my Jabberwock form at least."

"Not any longer or shorter my friend" she proclaimed ascending the stairs of the castle. "Transform into your Jabberwock form" she ordered and he obeyed. "Now that you have withdrawn your first blood, you can now go henceforth, and make a new land for me, the chess kingdom!" she announced gleefully.

"First blood? I haven't withdrawn any as far as i know" he tried to explain.

"Why of course you have. That Alice girl and her little friend are now dead and probably deceased too. And you know that once a Jabberwock withdraws his first blood he can be free to go out in his Jabberwock form" she reminded.

"Alice?" Jabberwock was even more confused. "But she hasn't been here."

"What? Of course she has. My servants sent her and her friend themselves. Unless they didn't bother coming into the castle, oooh i'll have to behead somebody off a body for that" she was annoyed and turned her back to Jabberwock.

"Well there were two human children who made their way in here, a boy and girl" Jabberwock informed just trying to help her and the queen opened her eyes at this.

"These, children, was the girl wearing a blue dress?"

"Yes, why yes she was."

"And a white apron?" the queen asked mocking a sweet voice smiling.

"Yes that too."

"And a black bow in shoulder length blonde hair?" she turned around.

"Yes all of those, why, do you know this girl?" asked Jabberwock naively.

The queen chuckled slightly, before her mood changed completely. "You IDIOT!" she smashed her cane against some rocks in front of her breaking them completely, and even in his Jabberwock form, he jumped back in shock and surprise. "That was Alice! You complete and utter fool! And you let her go away?" "That girl was Alice? But, no, she can't be, you said she was evil." "She is evil! Anyone who i send to the block is obviously evil, and she escaped me, how more possibly evil can you get?" she exclaimed smashing some more rocks. "I, i don't understand mistress, all the things you said about her, it seemed-" Jabberwock was interrupted. "Completely true. You'd better hope she comes back here Jabberwock or so help me, and my subjects and all other living things" the queen descended the stairs. "Still, there is a half good thing about this" the queen stopped walking examining her cane. "And what would that be mistress?" Jabberwock was still slightly scared at her unpredictable temper, and all the verbal abuse he had received had gave him reason to.

"Has she seen you in her Jabberwock form?" the queen turned her head slightly. "Well, yes they both did. They were frightened at first but they actually got use to my form. They were actually kind."

"Oh that wasn't kindness Jabberwock, that was cunning, that's how she'll get you. But if she's befriended you, then by that logic, any friend will come back to see their new friend, as that's how it works right."

"Well obviously."

"Then that means when she does come back, you have to wait till the right moment when she least expects it, then you strike her and her friend down. Not up, down. Do i make myself clear?" she asked very sinisterly.

Jabberwock had no other choice but to say "Of course mistress" as he cast his eyes to the floor. "I'll come in several quarter days. You better have killed them by then. That's when you'll be ready to take the chess kingdom and rid Wonderland of their evil once and for all" the queen of hearts left at this slamming the door behind her. Jabberwock sat in disbelief. He was expected to think that the two human children that came in here, were just as frightened of him at first, then showed him nothing but kindness and concern, even offered to get the Jabberwock staff for him, in order to free him from the castle. They could be risking their own lives for him, and they've only just met him. Then again, maybe acting scared was part of the act, and they only needed him to them where the staff was, and they carefully handed the staff over to the chess people whilst he was distracted.

No that couldn't be true. Why would they take the staff directly to him first instead of taking it directly to the chess kingdom. And besides, didn't Alice genuinely seem upset when they lost the staff? He transformed back down into his human form and slumped down. That's when he heard two familiar voices coming from outside.

"I'm surprised we actually managed to find this castle again, concerning this land."

"Well let's just be grateful we did find it because our tracks from last time didn't disappear."

"Unlike back home when you wanted to find that rabbit so we had to follow those tracks into the woods and ended up being chased by that fox who thought his cubs were in danger Alice."

"I only wanted to pet the cubs Reggie."

"I know but their father was right next to them. Now let's just find the door."

The door to the castle opened and to Jabberwock's dismay, they did not have the staff with them. He stared at them both, now remembering these were the children his mistress wanted him to kill. He eyed Alice especially. All this time, this girl who seemed so innocent and only wanted to help him, was this really who his mistress said was the most evil being to come to this land? "Hello children. Did you get the staff?" he asked in a concerned voice.

Well, that's what we wanted to talk to you about Jabberwock" Reggie told him.

"You see" Alice begun. "We managed to convince the chess people to play a game to determine which side gets the staff. Me myself am actually playing as a pawn for the red side, whilst Reggie is playing as a prince for the white side."

"Prince? I thought there wasn't a prince piece in chess?" Jabberwock asked with some suspicion in his voice, now very wary the his new 'friends'.

"I managed to convince them that there was a power vacuum there, that way i can help make the strategic decisions to put the third and final game into a stalemate" Reggie explained and Jabberwock raised an eyebrow. "You see, we were originally designated to get the staff in the first place, so if the game goes into a stalemate, no one can claim the staff, and then it technically belongs back to us" he finished explaining.

"And then we can use it to free you. There is just one thing that we might need your help with" explained Alice.

"Really, What?" Jabberwock was still not sure what to think of these children. Despite of the revelation that they were supposed to be evil beings, they were still showing kindness, and seemed to be trying their best to help him still.

"For the third, or if needed, second game, we might need you to infiltrate the other side and help us put them into a stalemate" Alice requested.

"Me? I can't do that" Jabberwock protested. He had many mixed feelings about the human children now. Truth be told, he didn't want to be anywhere near the chess people, and maybe this was a trap to get him to come to them, he didn't know how to play chess that well either. He gave the latter as an excuse. "Sorry, Alice, but i don't know how to play chess." "Oh, well, in that case we'll have to think of something else. Wait, did you just call me Alice?" she remembered. "Um, well" Jabberwock had just realised that he would know have to tell the truth. "I don't recall ever mentioning my name in here before, did I Reggie?" she asked. Reggie thought to himself for a minute. "Come to think of it i don't think you have" he recalled. "Well, my mistress, the queen of hearts told me" Jabberwock admitted. "The queen?" Alice repeated. "She didn't tell you anything else did she?" asked Alice nervously, even though she knew she didn't do anything wrong, but she did know what the queen of hearts could be like.

Jabberwock thought for a brief second and debated whether to tell Alice what he had been raised to believe about her, but then remembered how these children have shown him nothing but their help as far as he knew. "No. No she hasn't told me much else" he answered. "Oh, well, good. But we still need to decide what we are going to do to put this game into a stalemate" she reminded. Reggie thought for a second, and ran over all the possibilities he could think of, and in truth, they were limited. In the end he could only think of one possibility. "I think there's only one option left. You're going to have to become a queen again Alice for the red side" Reggie concluded. "Me?" Alice repeated. "But Reggie, i can't, i mean getting to the other side of the board will be easy as i have done it before, but there's absolutely no possible way i can lead the red side-" "Alice we no other choice, and don't worry, i'll give you advice on what to do and what places to advise their side on moving" Reggie reassured. Alice thought for a while, and then looked back up at Jabberwock, remembering the very reason she was doing this in the first place.

She sighed. "Okay, but i'm only doing this because we have no other choice, and because it's for Jabberwock too" she looked over and smiled at him, which surprised him. "Are you okay with this plan Jabberwock? I mean it's the only thing we can do to get the staff back" Reggie explained. "Yes. Yes thank you, for everything" he answered. "Well we'd better head back, the chess game will be starting any moment" Alice proclaimed grabbing Reggie's hand leading him to the door. "Don't worry Jabberwock, you'll be free to go out in your Jabberwock form, very very soon" she said happily. "I'll try to lead as best i can, i don't know what will happen, but stay strong Jabberwock" Reggie assured, before both of them left the castle. Now Jabberwock's feelings were mixed now more than ever. They definitely weren't plotting to hand him over to the chess people. Both of them were now planning to manipulate each side to get the staff themselves. He had to admire the bravery of that, tricking an entire kingdom. But all that he's been taught about Alice, didn't even match to the care that she showed like when she smiled at him just now. And that boy, Reggie, he seemed like a very brave child. And although he didn't know it yet, but Jabberwock could tell, he was a fantastic leader. Then he thought of all the verbal abuse he received from his mistress. He then decided, he would wait and see how this plays out.

 **Well it's been awhile hasn't it, just over a month. I've been working on my other stories, that's probably mainly why. I'm on fictionpress as well, as Writer24. Sorry for the long wait, i decided to make this more of a Jabberwock chapter, and hopefully give him some character development. The story will get going more in the next chapter. Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis carroll and this version disney.**


	14. It begins

At the grand chess kingdom which was sometimes shaped like a square and sometimes not shaped like a square, the two big sides were preparing for a best 2 out of 3 match. A match, for the powerful Jabberwock staff, which was placed on a high tree just outside of the giant chess board area, and on each side, both sides were preparing for what would probably be the most important and most insane game in the history of the chess kingdom. On one side, the white side, the white king and queen were preparing their pieces and telling Reggie the general things that happen during one of their games. Reggie told them he already knew the rules of chess but he listened to what usually happened in between games or what happened behind the lines of games, which was where he would be. He tried to keep up with their insane ramblings as much as he could. Alice was close to him preparing herself and about to go to the other side of the chess board to act as a pawn for the red side.

"So Mr Hargreaves, now that you're a prince and are helping on the strategy of our games, like good princes and princesses do since they aren't monarchs yet, you'll be kept in contact with us. Just tell our messengers here and they'll deliver it to us." "You mean, they're allowed to just walk across the chessboard in the middle of a game?" Reggie asked. "Well how else are we supposed to communicate?" Retorted the white queen. As they walked off somewhere Alice came up to him.

"Well i have to head over to the red side now. I was a pawn before so hopefully it'll just be the same as last time, for the first game anyway. The second and third game might be quite difficult."

"Well we will just have to keep our wits about us Alice. I know it doesn't matter who wins the first game, but remember, you'll have to become a queen for that side, at least for the final game anyway" Reggie reminded.

"I know, i still don't know how to do that however, it's going to be hard. But, if it's something i _have_ to do so be it. I just not might be very good at the queen part is all" she admitted.

"Don't worry Alice" he put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll help you with that part. Let's just focus on winning the first game for now shall we?" Reggie turned back to the white royals and Alice could tell he was nervous himself. He had to command a whole side of a chess board, on his own.

"You'll be fine Reggie. You always beat me at chess anyway" she smiled and he faced her.

"I know, it's just time i'm commanding a group of people with no logic whatsoever. But on the bright side, i suppose i'll be just like my father right commanding a group right?" He smiled nervously and so did Alice.

"Of course you will Reggie." She looked back and then said "I'd better head to my side now."

"Yeah, well good luck to you Alice" he smiled.

"Good luck to you too Reggie, i know you'll do well." She kissed his cheek before heading off to her side of the board.

After a while the timer announced that the game was about to start and Reggie was readying himself, when he heard a voice beside him. "Excuse me sir, but i think you'll need this" Reggie turned to see a rather tall man in a hood next to him. The man put a hand on Reggie's brown scruffy jacket, and amazingly, his jacket started to less scruffy, the lining started to change, and so did the colour. It changed from brown to a dark shade of white. "It'll make you look more like you belong on this side." Reggie realised. Only one person could do this. "Jabberwock?" He looked up in amazement, and through the hood he saw that familiar face. "How did you get here?" Reggie asked in a whisper so no one else could suspect anything, and the two walked over to an area where they wouldn't be seen. Jabberwock removed his hood.

"This, wasn't easy for me Reggie. Heck it was a 102% non easy for me to come here" Jabberwock flashbacked to him just outside of his castle:

 _He was standing there just outside of his door looking into the ever changing trees of the forest. He was shaking slightly with a million thoughts in his head. The mistress, she was sure to find out. And the chess kingdom, they would kill him for all he knew, if they found out who he was. He took deep breaths, and turned around several times, so tempted to go back inside of his castle. The only thing stopping him from going back in, was the thought of Alice and Reggie. Despite the revelation that she was Alice, everything he had been told about her did not match up to how she acted. Even if this was some sort of ruse by the two children, the place where he would be in the most danger would be in his own castle, although a ruse would seem very uncharacteristic of the two children. He wouldn't have to get involved in anything, like he decided earlier, he would watch and wait, see how this plays out. But he wanted to see what was happening, first hand._

 _This meant he would have to face his greatest fear. He would have to go into the chess kingdom on his own, and somehow find those two without going noticed. Luckily for him, not being able to go out in his Jabberwock form and having to stay in his human form was working as a blessing in disguise right now. Hopefully, nobody there would talk to him or question him. He knelt down and put his hand on the grass which a small patch of it slowly started to turn into a white hood. It was best to keep it the colour of one of the sides of the chess pieces. Maybe they'd think he was just a servant of some sort. Whatever sorts were like in Wonderland. He followed the tracks Alice and Reggie made on their way back to the chess kingdom, and they lead to the white side of the board. The land shaped like a board anyway._

 _He approached the border, what he assumed was the border anyway. It was just some zig zaggy lines with the occasional triangle or square shape. Here he was. He was inside the kingdom. He breathed slowly. From what he knew, they would kill him if they found out he was a Jabberwock. The thought of freedom kept him going. He saw a castle, not too far from where he was, and he deduced that's where the white royals had their main residence. From what he could tell, the chess kingdom was mainly open fields and forest, far from the war torn land that the queen of hearts had described to him. "Hey you!" Jabberwock turned to see a white rook staring at him, and Jabberwock tried to keep the fear inside of him contained. "The game is about to start a quarter to or past the hour, all servants must be present at the castle" the rook ordered. To scared to speak, but relieved that they thought he was a servant, he obeyed and headed towards the castle._

 _He joined a line of servants hesitantly that were entering the castle window, since servants weren't allowed through the door. Jabberwock glanced around, and occasionally looked up nervously, at the people he'd been afraid of all his life. The thing that made him confused however, which was amazing for Wonderland, was that these chess people acted and talked in very goofy and weird ways, not at all the evil extreme ways he thought they acted in. But they could still be very strict with each other, so he kept his distance. He managed to make his way up to the top of the castle, where he saw the two children, which Alice had just left to go to the red side to act out her part of their plan to free him. He sighed. From what he was seeing right now, what both Alice and Reggie had said they chess people were actually, possibly accurate, but he would wait and see. He approached Reggie._

"Even now, i'm, i'm still frightened. Please, Reggie, try not to draw any attention to me by the chess pieces" Jabberwock asked.

"Don't worry Jabberwock, and trust me, they're not as evil as you think they are. Wait, now that you're here, you can see them for yourself can't you" Reggie realised.

"Yes but, i'd rather keep my distance for now" Jabberwock admitted.

Reggie decided to compromise as he remembered this was the first time he was in the chess kingdom, let alone coming here on his own, to a land that would attack him if they found out who he was. Now that was real courage, on a same level as Reggie's father, which Reggie secretly wished he could show one day. "Well, in that case, as the 'prince' of this side of the chess board, i'll make you my right hand man. That way you can stay out of trouble and anyone who gives you any has to answer to me." He smiled and said that with such authority in his voice that he might as well have been a general in the redcoat army.

Jabberwock smiled back. "I'll try to do the best i can, without drawing attention to myself. I'm still not very sure of these people. You'd better help them with the game now, it's starting."

"What? Already?"

"Time doesn't just move forward in this land Reggie."

Reggie moved to the front of the roof of the castle and looked out. He heard the timer's voice call out to the land. "Now everyone, the best 3 out of 2 game for the Jabberwock staff will now begin its first game. Whoever puts the other king in checkmate wins and may the cleverer side win!" The game began. Alice was on some sort of square piece of grass in the middle of the forest, and she heard the announcement too. "I do hope this goes better than the last time, but who am i to fool myself?"

The white side moved first, and one pawn moved on it's own free accord, two spaces, like pawns could on their first move. A red pawn did the same. "I wonder when i should move next? Well as long as get to the other side without being taken, hopefully we should do well" Alice said to herself. Reggie who was overlooking the whole thing turned to one of the servants and said "I think the pawns in front of the king and queen should move next, it'll let the bishops be able to move out, and create space for the queen if we need her." "But sir prince, can't we just move the pawns in front of the knights?" "No, the knights can jump over pieces, it'll be fine for them." "Oh yes there's that too" the servants went off to give the order.

Jabberwock noticed how the servants or people of the chess kingdom in general would fumble over sentences and their structures, and were sometimes, rather goofy. They weren't these brutalised warriors that he imagined.

Alice was standing around waiting for some sort of sign that she could move. "Oh perhaps i should just move now, hopefully it won't be a problem- oh," she was interrupted mid sentence as she saw a red knight jump over her on his horse and running ahead. "Goodness, that must be the knight moving forward. Maybe i should've waited a while first. But wait, i can move next to him to give him some support. That's what Reggie always did when playing chess against me anyway." She moved forward on her next move.

On the white side, Jabberwock alerted Reggie to some of the servants, who seemed to be worried about something. "Reggie over there" Jabberwock said quietly. Reggie turned to see the servants yelling something like 'their priest man has moved! their priest man has moved!"

"Priest man, they mean the red bishops. Move the pawns forward in the position where their bishops can't take any vital pieces" ordered Reggie. Although he was a prince now, he was acting more like a general. The servants followed this. "Yes sir, we'll sacrifice one of the pawns."

"No wait, i never said sacrifice a pawn" Reggie called out.

"Although i don't know the rules of this game Reggie, i think a pawn being sacrificed is going to happen anyway" informed Jabberwock.

Reggie just sighed. He knew no harm would come to the pawn but it still didn't seem right to send one of his own out there to be captured to further their battle plans. This brought Reggie back to a memory of getting a letter home from his father away in the British army overseas. It was a while ago so he couldn't remember exactly what it said, but he did remember something along the lines of sending out a group of soldiers to investigate an area and were apparently attacked by the enemy. Whether this was intended or not, he never realised this before but isn't that what the army did, sending out their men to be killed. Well, it must all be part of being a hero right? That's what Reggie thought for now, and carried on with the game.

 **So this is long overdue i know, over a month. I did have some writer's block with this chapter and felt like Alice didn't get much in this one. I definitely think Reggie's and Jabberwock's characters are developing nicely. For those who are confused to what's happening in the plot right now, they have to get a stalemate on the last of the three chess games, in order for the staff to go back to them. Reggie is acting as a prince/commander for the white side and for the moment Alice is acting as a pawn for the red side, but she needs to become a queen in order to do the same as Reggie and they can command both sides and put the last game into a stalemate. I hope you're all enjoying this story so far. Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll and this version disney.**


	15. Winning the first game

The game continued, and much to Reggie's dismay, some of his pawns had been taken by the red bishops. They wouldn't be hurt but to him it was almost like he was giving them up to die. But at least he managed to hold a line for his side of the board/land. Reggie figured that he would have to get use to it however, there was going to be a lot of that during these three games. He told the knights to move forward in order to have an advantage against the red's pawns. He deliberately didn't send them out too far though, as he knew Alice was playing as a pawn for the other side, and she needed to reach their side to become a queen. That, and also, he didn't want Alice to get captured personally, just in case she would get hurt in the process. He thought maybe this was kind of a bias against his own side. He wondered if any general in the British army ever thought of any biases, ever thought of going against his own side. But why was Reggie thinking that? He had always been told that the empire was protecting those countries, why would they have any biased thoughts against their side? Why was Reggie having these thoughts? No, it must be because this was a far different army, but he couldn't deny the similarities.

Alice on her side of the land was still debating whether to move ahead yet or not. She hadn't received any commands to do anything yet, but she did have the freedom to move herself. She thought that strange that you could receive orders and have the freedom to move wherever you wanted. The logic of this land, but she was use to this by now. There was really a lack of discipline in the red side, as she noticed, compared to the somewhat disciplined white side. She overheard some of the other red pawns that the white side wasn't always like that. There was no mystery there for Alice however, she knew that was because Reggie was commanding that side now. She hoped that she would be as good as a strategist as he was, when she would become queen for the red side, although deep down, she knew she could never compare to him, but that didn't mean she couldn't use what she learnt from him.

Just like Reggie was having some questioning thoughts of his own, Alice was wondering about the whole discipline element. She could not deny now that the more disciplined side had an advantage, and was achieving a better feat on the chessboard. She had always hated it whenever her parents were hard on her, and punished her for something, but she was now witnessing what was happening without any of that. Were her parents really just trying to be responsible for her. She had to admit they did a great job at raising her, she had good manners, she was well spoken, and while Alice could be somewhat rebellious at times, compared to some other children she wasn't really that bad. Even when she snuck out the day before to see Reggie, she didn't let her parents see her because she knew there'd be consequences. She remembered earlier she had stated that she didn't want to go back home for the time being, but now, deep down she really did miss her family. Her parents, Dinah, and even her 'morally superior' older sister.

She wondered how long she'd been gone, but then time could go any direction in this land. She also wondered if she had been missed by her parents and they were looking for her. If they were she didn't know how she was going to explain her absence when she got back, if she got back. 'No don't think that. Reggie and myself will put the last game into a stalemate and free Jabberwock, proving to everyone and him that there was nothing to be afraid of' Alice thought to herself. This reminded her that she had to disobey her parents at times though, and go against the authority. She wanted to stay in this land to help Jabberwock, to free him. Why she had snuck out of her house, to see her best friend.

Her best friend, oh Reggie. She still felt guilty for bringing him along to Wonderland, just to prove herself that this whole place wasn't a dream. Here she was thinking and worrying about herself and her family, but she now was concerned about whether he missed his mother and if she was looking for him. That's not the only thing she felt guilty about. She had tried to tell him before but something always prevented her from doing it. She knew he missed his father terribly, and Reggie still thinks he's working overseas. Alice had overheard a conversation between Reggie's mother and her mother one time, and some sad news was given. Alice felt like she had to break it to him at some point, since his mother was very reluctant to. But she couldn't bear to see his face when she told him that, she couldn't do that to the person who always made her smile.

Seeing that intelligent, hazel-eyed, kind, cocky and handsome face become distraught after that news it, wait, handsome? When did she start thinking that? Okay yes he was, somewhat handsome, but that wasn't the point. Reggie was and is her best friend, she shouldn't be thinking things like that. This whole new adventure has had made her see a new side of him. Before this there were inseparable friends, unless you count the times where they couldn't be seen together. Two children, despite their different backgrounds, played together everyday at half past four, and went on their own adventures, but no adventure was as big as this. She knew he was good at strategy and was very smart, and as she told him before very brave. But it wasn't up until this point she had really acknowledged that, or that he had a chance to show it. The way he wanted to make sure she was safe, the way he put himself in front of her like when they first entered Jabberwock's castle. The jokes he made, the way he ran into action without considering himself, how he was willing to do anything to help a creature he'd just met, like command a whole chess side, and how he was smart enough to outsmart the cheshire cat. She couldn't help but gain a new level of respect and admiration for her friend, but was that all it was?

She remembered the day she met him:

 _Alice was 6 years old and she and her family were on a picnic to the area where the rabbit hole was, although Alice didn't know about that yet. She was wearing a very similar dress to her signature one, and she found it hard to keep up with her family being that she had smaller legs. "Alice c'mon dear, hurry up" her mother ushered in a gentle encouraging tone. Alice ran her tiny legs as fast as she could and caught up with her family. Her parents didn't carry that much but they carried some things. Two or three of the maids from the house went along with them to help them with to help them lay it out. They found a spot under the tree where Alice's mother laid down a picnic blanket for them and her sister, who was holding the basket, was helped by her father and some of the maids lay out the food._

 _Alice was more interested in the bee that was buzzing from flower to flower and kneeled down to watch it, curious at what it was doing. She wondered, even at that age, if the flowers knew what it was doing, if they could speak what would they say? What would they be like? She watched as a butterfly pretty much seemed to be doing the same thing except it looked like it was just feeding rather than collecting something like the bee was. "Alice, over here dear, the food is ready" her mother called for her. Just like the butterfly, it was her time to feed too. She made her way over to her family where for the next half hour she ate along with her family as the maids sat somewhere else talking amongst themselves. Alice and her sister played with her father on the grass. They attempted to make small boats out of twigs but they could never get them to float longer than a few seconds. Alice's sister always boasted how her boat would make it further than Alice's before it sunk, which annoyed Alice. Her sister wasn't as mature back then. Alice's father lifted her up onto his shoulders and she became interested in the tree branches. She grabbed a small branch with her tiny hands and examined it, before starting to whack the tree trunk with it. "Alice, behave" her mother looked up at her._

 _Alice frowned. She let go of the branch and started tugging on the leaves. "Alice i don't think you should-" before her mother could finish, a bunch of leaves that Alice was tugging on fell down nearly covering all of Alice's mother. Alice pulled her hands back as she realised what she did and her mother looked up sternly at her. Her father put her down to help her mother brush off the leaves. Realising her mistake, the 6 year old tried to apologise. "Mother I'm-" "It's okay Alice, play over by the stream or something would you?" her mother said this as more of an instruction. "Yes mother." Alice walked over to the stream and looked back to see her sister helping her mother and father with the leaves, and her parents looking grateful for it. Casting her eyes to the floor, she sat down further down by the stream which was a dried up part of the stream, out of her parent's and the maids sights. 'I only wanted to play with the tree' she thought sadly. That's when she heard something which made her look up. Opposite the dried up stream on the grassy bit, a boy her age was slashing a stick at a bird who seemed be attacking him. The bird was squawking at him and trying to peck him, but this boy was too quick with the stick._

 _He hit the bird at every attack it made, and the bird eventually gave up, then swooped above Alice which she barely dodged. This caused the boy to notice her and this startled him, and had a look as if he wasn't supposed to be there. He turned and headed in the other direction, and curious, Alice headed after him. "Wait!" Alice lifted her skirt slightly to run across the stream and after him. "Wait, how did you defend yourself like that?" she asked and the boy finally stopped and turned around. "I, just learnt. Sowwy i'm not supposed to be with you." Being so young, he and Alice couldn't pronounce most R's yet. "Why not?" "My mother said, you'we different class to me. I can't be awound you." "But the way you swung that stick at the bird was amazing." "My, dad taught me. He's in the army, and he's a hewo" the boy boasted. "Weally? What does he do?" asked Alice. "He fights anyone who thweatens this countwy. Aren't you that girl of Mr and Mws Liddell's?" he asked. "Yes, i'm Alice, Alice Liddell" she curtseyed remembering her manners. The boy bowed remembering his. "Who are you?" "I'm Weginald Hargweaves, although my pawents call me Weggie." "Weggie" Alice repeated, not being able to pronounce most R's either._

" _My mother is one of your pawents maids" he explained. "I didn't see you on the way here" noticed Alice. "Well you and your family went ahead." "What made that bird attack you Weggie?" asked Alice. "It was picking at an ant's nest, so i defended the ants." "Ant's nest?" Alice repeated in a curious tone. "Yeah, i'll show you" Reggie lead her down by the edge of the stream where the nest was, and being Alice she examined it. "Wow, look at them work. I wonder what life is like in there. Imagine shwinking down to their size and what that must be like" Alice wondered. "They work in a team, just like on the naval ships, out there on the sea" Reggie observed. "I wished the ships i made out of twigs sailed like they do" sighed Alice. "What do you mean?" Reggie asked. "I was making some boats out of sticks with my father and sister, but none of them floated" Alice sighed sadly. Hating the sad look on her face, Reggie took some twigs and sticks nearby and started crafting something, with a look on his face similar to an architect designing a building. He then finished and put it on the stream. "Was it designed like that?" he asked. Alice saw the boat he made and gasped. "How'd you do that? It floats!" she clasped her tiny hands together. "It's gotta be the wight design. I'll show you." For the next five minutes, Reggie showed Alice how to design a ship out of twigs to float. He also showed her how to attract a squirrel from a nearby tree without scaring it._

 _Alice clapped her hands together out of happiness every time she got the squirrel to come to her. She soon forgot about her mother and the leaves. "You climb the twee like this" Reggie demonstrated climbing a tree. Alice copied him and tried her best. She almost fell but Reggie grabbed her arm just in time. She eventually made it to the top. "I did it. I climbed the twee Weggie!" she smiled happily. This was when they heard a rustling above them. Both children turned their heads up to see a small cat trying to claw into an insect's nest. "A kitty!" Alice realised smiling. The cat gave up however, but then looked down for a few seconds. It started meowing as if it were in distress. "Oh no, i think it's stuck Weggie" Alice said worriedly looking up at the cat. Reggie looked up at the cat and an idea popped in his head. "Well, my dad wouldn't just sit here" he then climbed up to the next strong branch, and then from branch to the next branch. "Weggie what are you doing?" "I'm wescuing the cat." He managed to get close enough to the cat although he wobbled a bit on the branch he was on. "Careful Weggie" Alice held her hands close to her chest. "C'mon kitty" Reggie held his hand to grab the cat. It was reluctant at first, but it soon jumped into his arms._

 _Reggie carefully climbed down to the branch Alice was on with one hand, his other holding the cat. The cat jumped out of Reggie's arms and into Alice's. Alice giggled. "Oh, you're so cute" Alice smiled hugging the cat. She then looked up. "Weggie, you were amazing." "Well it was nothing weally." Reggie was right, it was nothing, but to 6 year old Alice, it was everything. They both climbed down. "I wonder if i can keep her?" Alice held the cat. "I'd love for you to meet my pawents Weggie." "I don't think they'd like that Alice" he said reluctantly. A little sad, Alice looked back then turned to Reggie. "Wait here" she said before running off to see her parents. She made her way up to them, still holding the cat. "Alice, where've you been? And what's that thing you're holding?" her mother questioned. "It's a kitty mother! She was up in a twee, can i keep her please?" "Is that a stray cat? It'll probably just create filth Alice. It's not suitable to live in a house" her father dismissed. "I'll teach her, i'll domesticate her. Please father, please mother, she's got nowhere to go." "Alice look, these things are only good for catching mice and things like that, they belong with their own kind" said her mother. "But cats are solitawy" Alice informed. Her parents were about to dismiss her again, but then looked at the leaves around them, and decided that a pet could keep her occupied, instead of causing anymore trouble._

" _Okay Alice, you can have it as a pet" her mother gave in. "But you have to take care of it, it's your responsibility" reminded her father. "I pwomise i will" smiled Alice, before running back down to the stream where her parents couldn't see her. "Weggie? Where are you?" "Over here!" he called out jumping down from the bridge. "My pawents are letting me keep her Weggie, oh what should I name her? Katie pewhaps, emily?" "Daphne, Dinah, Daisy, just a few suggestions" Reggie listed. "Hm, I like those thwee names that you said" Alice smiled. She was about to ask him something, but then remembered what he said about class, and what her parents had said about the cat. Although she had never heard her parents say it, she sometimes overheard friends of her parents talk about a certain group of people, and made the comparisons between them and what was said about the cat. She then realised what Reggie meant, her and his parents would never allow them to be seen together, which saddened her because he was the first person who she legitimately had fun with. Then she had an idea._

" _Weggie, um" she swung her shoulders side to side looking at the floor. "Do you want to meet me in my house gardens tomorrow? Most people in the house will be out for most houws, and if you're mother is working we can play together in the garden then, because i understand now, what you said about class" she said putting the cat down. "Alice, i'd love to" he smiled and so did Alice. "I'll meet you there about lunch time." Reggie then heard his mother call for him. "I'd better go, i'll suppose your pawents want you back too now Alice." "Pwobably, but anyway, i'll see you tomorrow in the garden wight?" "Of couwse" Reggie gave his word. "See you there then Weggie!" she giggled excitedly and threw her arms around him, hugging him. He hugged back and they parted waving to each other. That was the start of a secret friendship that managed to last for so far six years._

Alice smiled fondly at that memory. She made two friends that day. When they were older their parents let them out to play outside more often, which they used to secretly meet by that grassy area where they always do. They played together, they talked together, he even secretly visited her a few times when she was ill, and was stuck all day in her room, playing chess or card games with her to keep her company. He was really sweet at times. She didn't realise this but, she must've subconsciously headed along the chess board, because she noticed she had progressed further, and luckily, no one had tried to take her. In fact, she was almost at the other end of the board, almost a queen. She waited a while, she knew if she took the action to move ahead now, she could be taken, so after she waited, she moved, and to her delight, made it to the other end. Just like the last time she was in this land, she had been coronated a queen. 'I did it! Oh how marvellous! Wait, does that mean i have to take people now-' she suddenly heard a horn sound across the land, indicating the game was over, much to her relief.

'Phew, well at least that's the first game over with. This wasn't at all as exciting as i thought it would be.' She followed all the chess pieces that were still remaining on the board towards the side of the victor, which turned out to be the white side, her side had lost, Reggie's side had won. She hurried to the castle where Reggie was commanding from and searched for him. She eventually spotted him leaning against the castle wall looking out at the land. She headed over to him. "Reggie! Reggie your side won! Congratulations. And where did you get that jacket? It's- Reggie?" she noticed that her friend wasn't as excited as she expected him to be. "Reggie, what is it?"

 **So that's the first game won by the white side, and Alice is now a queen for the red side, meaning she'll help command that side just like Reggie is doing with the white pieces. But what's troubling Reggie? I'll try to update sooner so you can all find out. Alice in wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version Disney.**


	16. A mad tea party

Reggie didn't exactly have the glorious war commanding experience he always heard about. Sure he won the white side the first game, but during this experience, he had to capture several of the opponent's pieces, yes that's what he knew he had to do, but the reality of it, holding them against their will in the castle, holding them as prisoners, that was something he did not enjoy. The same vice versa. He knew the very job of soldiers was to go out and fight and face danger of course, but sending out his own pieces for the exact same thing, to be captured and have that same treatment. The only thing making him feel better about this was that his pieces that were captured during the game all returned afterwards. If it wasn't for the fact that he was doing this for a good cause, the freedom of Jabberwock, or he would be doubting this leadership position a lot more. He was completely lost in thought so much that he didn't even notice Alice approach him.

"Reggie? Reggie what is it?" she asked rather worriedly.

"Huh, oh Alice. Hello. How was your experience with this?" he asked rather unenthusiastically.

"Reggie are you alright? You're not as, excited or happy as I thought you would be. I mean your side won the first game aren't you proud?"

"Well I suppose, it's just, never mind, you're right, I should be proud. I mean we're one step closer to saving Jabberwock. Did anyone try to take you during the game?" Reggie asked worryingly.

"Well I don't think so. It was quite uneventful for me to be truthful. I pretty much got through the whole board without any trouble" Alice explained, not wanting to admit that she was thinking about him for most of the game. "Oh, and good news! I managed to reach the other side of the chess board, and become a queen, I can command the red side now" she informed.

'Well I hope you have a better time than I did' Reggie thought. "We'll have to plan later then, in how to make the red side win, in order to have a stalemate on the last game."

"I'm sort of nervous about doing that, I don't think I'll be as good as you" Alice admitted.

"You'll be fine Alice. Obviously I can't be on that side with you since i'm commanding this one, but I did have some help from Jabberwock though, he can be with you for the second game if he wants too."

"Jabberwock? But he's-" Alice saw Reggie motion behind to a tall figure in a cloak, who did a small wave to Alice hearing their conversation."Jabberwock? Jabberwock is that really-" she stopped as she realised she said that a bit louder than she ought have done. "Jabberwock, you're here? You left your castle?" she whispered this time, smiling, happy to see that her newest friend had the courage to be here.

"I was just as surprised when he came to me too, he transformed my jacket into this white one" Reggie explained.

"I figured I couldn't just sit in the castle while you two fought for my freedom. And besides, like you said, I should see for myself what the chess people are like" Jabberwock figured.

"And?" smiled Alice.

"And they're not, exactly the bloody warriors I thought them to be. I mean yes they are following the rules of the game when they forcefully capture a piece and bring them back here" Alice noticed Reggie slightly shudder when Jabberwock said that. "But when they're not playing chess, both sides aren't actually that bad towards each other, sure they argue with one another over a lot of ridiculous things, but they get on well and have some sort of a good sportsmanship. It's only when they're playing is when they can be a bit aggressive."

Reggie had to agree yes, despite all the thoughts going through his head, the chess people weren't really that bad, compared to some things he was drawing parallels with. He brightened his mood then and tried to get his mind off it. "Well if you want to Jabberwock you can go to Alice's side as, she might need some help over there."

"Well I have just observed your strategies, so I suppose I could give her some advice" Jabberwock agreed.

"Will you be alright without him Reggie?" Alice joked.

"I should be fine, I had other people here helping me too."

"Yeah I mean, he had some of the servants and the white princess on his side too" Jabberwock explained.

"Oh well that's good, I-, princess?" Alice asked confused.

"Oh yeah, did you know that the white king and queen had a daughter? Because I sure didn't. See there she is now" Reggie pointed over to her and the rather beautiful princess waved to him and walked over.

"Hello Sir Hargreaves, congratulations on the victory. One step closer to achieving that Jabberwock staff" she greeted.

"Hello your highness, this is Alice my friend who I've told you about. Alice this is the daughter of the white king and queen, princess Alba" Reggie introduced.

"Oh so this is the Alice Liddell I've heard so much about. Better to meet you in a day than in a hour hm?" she chuckled, offering her hand to shake.

Ignoring the insane ramblings coming from the princess, Alice looked at the beautiful royal and shook her hand, curtseying at the same time. "Your highness" she greeted, a hint of displeasure in her voice. Alice then asked "My friend, Reggie here tells me you've been helping him out?" There was some sort of hostility in her words, although Reggie or the princess didn't notice it.

"Oh yes, every now and then, or whatever way time decides to go. Just giving him some tips or updating and downdating him on where the red pieces were. He's such a talented strategist, where do you get it from?" princess Alba joked rubbing her elbow against Reggie's arm.

"Oh, let's just say, I learnt from the best" Reggie laughed nervously, smiling at the princess.

"Well we have to plan another strategy now, so I think we'd better be off" Alice interrupted, clearing not liking the way the princess was acting around Reggie. 'She's only known him for this one game. Why is Reggie acting this way around _her_?'

"I suppose I'll see next to soon Sir Hargreaves. Bye now." she waved goodbye and went off to rejoin the other pieces. "Oh she can be funny at times" Reggie started walking with Alice and Jabberwock by his side. "She seemed like quite a handful to me" Alice expressed. "What was she like during the game then?"

"Well like you said, yes she was quite insane like most of the other characters we've met here, but she was very helpful and very fun at times."

"Was she?" was Alice's only cold reply.

"I'm just glad I'm getting out of that castle. So we'd better get ready for the next game" Reggie figured as the three of them left the castle.

"That reminds me, better change your jacket back" Jabberwock put a hand on Reggie's jacket again and turned it back into his brown scruffy one. "You couldn't let me keep it?" asked Reggie disappointed, knowing he'll never have a jacket as good as that back home. "I'll change it again during the next game" Jabberwock assured. The three by now had walked close to the outskirts of the chess kingdom, mainly because Jabberwock had told the children that he wanted to head back to his castle for a bit, in case the queen of hearts came to visit. He was terrified at the thought of him being absent when she was there. "Be sure to meet us soon at the border, the second game will start in some time" reminded Alice. "I will, thanks again you two, for everything." With that, he crossed the border again, heading back to his home. "He'll be free soon, then this whole situation will be over" Reggie said with some relief. "Will we head home after this? It's just, we don't know how long we've been gone for, what if they're searching for us? Our families I mean" Alice worried. "Well didn't you say last time you 'woke up' from Wonderland it wasn't that long after you went in" Reggie remembered.

"I suppose, it's just, I just wouldn't mind seeing my family once again is all" she quietly admitted looking down at the floor. Reggie remembered back when she said earlier that she didn't want to go back to her parents at that moment and he was pretty sure that she felt that way throughout a majority of this whole adventure. But maybe this whole thing was getting too much for her. She did say she didn't really have the most pleasant of times whenever she came to this land. He wondered what it was with this land. Even if you remained sane throughout it all you seemed to start to question certain things you firmly believed in before. He could've easily just blamed it on the insanity of this place getting to him but he felt like that wasn't the reason. "Well don't worry Alice" he put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get back, we'll free Jabberwock, make peace with him and the chess people, then find a way out of here. We'll see our families again, just to make sure they're fine. And we'll both know that you were right about this place being real. It'll be _our_ secret" he said gently and reassuringly. Alice looked up and into his eyes and definitely did feel reassured.

"Yes. Yes of course we will, what am I thinking? We'll do this. Thank you Reggie." The two looked into each other's eyes before realising they were, and both turned away blushing. Reggie was confused to why he was. Why did he like the feeling of comforting her? Both were grateful at a certain noise which broke the awkwardness. They had walked nearer to the castle after they parted from Jabberwock at the border, and there was a high pitched noise coming from not to far away. There was some sort of steam coming from behind a long hedge with a gate. "What's that behind there?" Reggie asked, and seemed that he and Alice had switched souls for a brief moment since she was normally the curious one. They walked past the gate and Alice realised who was behind that hedge, a strange looking hare in fancy clothes and a short old man with a hat too big for him and an orange over coat. He was the same height as the hare, both were engaged in some sort of insane song whilst the teapots danced on the table.

Remembering how insane these two were last time, Alice didn't really want to deal with them again. "Oh those two? Oh they're no one, let's just carry on walking and-" Alice was about to pull Reggie along but had to stop when she realised there was a hedge in front of her. Somehow they were now on the other side of the gate and hedge. She then groaned when she heard the familiar voices say "No room, no room, no room" the two of them came rushing over. "Oh not again" Alice rolled her eyes. "You know these characters as well?" Reggie whispered. "Unfortunately yes" she replied. "It's very rude to come in without an invitation, you-, say, you're that girl aren't you?" the short man recognised. "Ah yes, the one who didn't know what an unbirthday was" the march hare chuckled. "Well one can't certainly take another day without a cup of knowledge." He said this as a text book came out of the spout of the teapot and into the cup he was holding. "Well once a guest always a guest. Come sit down and have a cup" the march hare walked back to the table.

"Yes, come sit down and-, hey, they do not have an invitation" the mad hatter argued. "Well they have mine. Come, sit down, pull up a chair" the march hare invited, literally pulling up two chairs from the ground. "That's kind of you Mr march hare, but we really don't have time to-" "There's most likely an unbirthday to be celebrated, bring out the cake tea and jam!" the mad hatter interrupted Alice. " _Un_ birthday? What's that?" Reggie hadn't had this explained to him before, but now he was about to. "Oh my dear boy, you're just like how the girl was when she was here before" said the hare as he sat Reggie down and Alice reluctantly sat down next to him. "Let us explain. There is approximately 1 brithday that everyone has, so that means there are approximately 364, 65 on leap years, _un_ birthdays" the hatter counted on his fingers. "But, what exactly is the point of an unbirthday? How is it relevant to people? And besides, doesn't that mean there's an unchristmas and uneaster as well?"

"Reggie don't carry this on" Alice whispered before the hare and hatter realised. "My goodness, you're right! You know what that means" the hatter declared. "Bring out the tree, bring the decorations. Let's celebrate unchristmas, 'cause to be honest, I don't like easter that much" the march hare proclaimed. "Really?" Alice raised an eyebrow. Both the mad hatter and the march hare started throwing decorations such as frying pans and pieces of cardboard onto a palm tree and danced around it singing:

"We wish you a merry unchristmas, we wish you a merry unchristmas, we wish you a merry unchristmas, and a happy mid year!"

"So who is this wacky duo then?" Reggie asked with a hint of amusement.

"The mad hatter and the march hare. And they're a trio, the dormouse is on top of that tree putting on a crescent moon" she pointed over.

"Ah I remember you mentioned them when we broke into the white rabbit's house."

"What I'm wondering is, why are they here in the chess kingdom? They were in the hearts kingdom last time I saw them."

"That my dear, is because we every now and later, watch a game of chess for entertainment to go along with the tea party" The hatter explained sitting back down taking a bite out of a saucer. "And what better day to watch it on than unchristmas" the march hare walked back up to a teapot. "But you've only just learned about that" Reggie pointed out. "It's best not to argue with them Reggie" Alice advised. "Oh look, clean cup, move down move down move down move down!" the mad hatter moved all of them further down the table. "As I was saying we travel here to have some entertainment with tea time. There were some very strategic moves coming from the white side this game I observed" proclaimed the march hare. "Really? You think so?" smiled Reggie. "Oh yes, you could say they were as sly as a fox" Alice joined in trying to compliment Reggie, hoping this would make him forget about the princess. "Or as shrewd as a walrus" said the hatter. Reggie chuckled "Or as cunning as a cat." "Cat!" a high pitched voice exclaimed. The dormouse had just jumped out of the palm tree and started scurrying around the table.

"Oh no, quick get the jam!" the hatter yelled chasing after the dormouse with the hare. "Quick Reggie the jam!" Alice pointed over to it. Although confused, he passed her it quite quickly and he watched as she placed it on the mouse's nose. Normally he would've asked why, but was there any point? "Sorry about that, he's just their natural prey like dirt is to earthquakes" the hare sat beside Reggie whilst Alice and the hatter were trying to calm the mouse down. "So, do tell me my boy. Why is a raven like a writing desk?" "What?" Reggie thought that was out of the blue. "A riddle?" asked Reggie. "If you don't like it then perhaps instead: What's always broken when talked about?" "Silence of course" Reggie replied. "Or maybe: How do you divide 10 apples amongst 11 people? Why is a Jabberwock disguised as a servant? What can be really big and weigh nothing?" "Wait wait wait, what was that second thing you said?" asked Reggie standing up from his chair.

"How do you divide 10 apples amongst-"

"No no no, after that."

"Why is there a Jabberwock disguised as a servant?" the march hare moved his eyebrows up and down.

"How, how did you-"

"Oh don't think I didn't see him by your side when you were commanding their pieces" the march hare revealed.

 **Okay so this is the chapter where we see the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. I admit I had fun writing these two, they're a fantastic duo. I really like March Hare, if I had to pick a favourite character from the film it would be him. Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll this version disney.**

 **Dreamer Helicar: Thank you so much for reviewing, and recommending this story. I always wanted to know what people thought of it, guess I kinda know now ;)**


	17. The second game

"How did you recognise-?"

"Now C'mon my boy, remember what I said before, common knowledge" the march hare flipped through the textbook that came out the tea spout earlier. "Jabberwocks in human form have blue scaly skin and are quite tall." He closed the book and threw it somewhere behind him causing something to break.

"You're not, you're not going to tell anyone are you?" Reggie said quite protectively over Jabberwock.

"Well you know what?" the hare pulled a giant mallet from his coat. "Let's change the subject." he banged the mallet down on the table and jumped out of the chair about to walk somewhere else.

Reggie grabbed the hare by the collar and brought him back down on the chair. "No, let's not change the subject. Are you going to tell anyone about him?"

"What's there to talk about if you don't know about it? If you don't know about a subject you shouldn't discuss or debate that subject."

"But aren't you afraid of him? Like all the others?"

"The way I see it, the fact that I'm still alive talking to you now, I have no reason to be afraid. But I wouldn't recommend telling the mouse or that hatted idiot over there, ha ha" he hit the hatter on the head with the mallet, causing his hat to cover him completely in a cartoonish fashion. Alice was still trying to calm down the dormouse. "What about me?" the top of the hatter's hat moved up and down like a mouth. "Quiet you" the hare retorted. "No I just prefer to sit here at the table with a good cup of tea."

Reggie just sat down in relief in a chair. "Well, I suppose I could do with a cup myself" he sighed as Alice sat back down next to him.

Both children helped themselves, as the hatter and hare let them, to any food or drink on the table. They had just realised they had not eaten or drank anything since lunch before they went through the looking glass. "Where does _all_ thistea come from anyway?" Reggie realised. "The answer's right in front of you of you, the teapots of course" the hatter laughed. Alice and Reggie looked at each other. "Let's not question" she suggested. "What's the matter, haven't seen this much tea before?" asked the hare cracking open a teapot like an egg. "Well I have. Not like this but in plant form brought off ships" replied Reggie. "From where exactly?" the hare asked taking a sip. "A place called India." "Is that where you harvest it from? Must be a lot of work" the hare remarked. "Well actually the people who live there farm it." "Really? Must be some generous people to let you have all that." "Well they give to us in exchange for protection." "Protection from what?" "From-, from" Reggie had to pause for a second. He never did ask his father what exactly they were protecting parts of the empire from.

That's when they heard the noise of a horn from the distance. "Aha, second game's about to begin" the hare laid back. "Oh well that's, second game! Quick Reggie we have to be at our ends" Alice stood up and headed towards the gate. "Well I suppose I'd better head off too. I have a side to command" Reggie put down his cup and walked towards Alice. "Head off? Ugh" the hatter put a hand to his throat. "Oh that's right, I have to command the red side, or at least, help command it" Alice remembered. "You'll do just fine Alice but we'd better go" Reggie said as Alice headed out the gate. "Just remember boy" the hare called just before Reggie left. "What goes up when rain comes down?" Reggie had no time to answer the riddle, he shrugged it off and followed after Alice.

"We'd better find Jabberwock and let him know that-" "Already here Reggie" a voice came from behind emerging from the bushes, as Jabberwock still wearing the cloak came out. "Had any trouble with the queen of hearts Jabberwock?" asked Alice. "She wasn't there thank goodness, and I don't think she'll be visiting for a while yet anyway, I think." "Well we'd better head to our sides and make the red side win. Jabberwock are you alright to be on the red side this time?" "They're not, they're not deadly are they? I know the white side are, far different from what I thought they would be but-" "I've met the people on the red side, you should be fine" Reggie assured. "Oh, okay, besides I should be alright. As long as Alice is there." "Um, yes. I, I'm still not sure I can do this boys. I don't think-" she started to panic, but Reggie calmed her down. "Alice" he took her hand. "Just remember all the times we played chess. I'll be commanding the white side, and I'll make so they lose. You'll do fine" he smiled. She did too, then Jabberwock interrupted. "I think we'd ought to get going." "Oh right, you're right Reggie, I will do just fine." Alice and Jabberwock started heading in a direction. "Oops, almost forgot" Jabberwock put a hand on Reggie's jacket and it turned back into that fancy white one.

"This time it'll change back on it's own after a while" he informed and headed in the same direction as Alice. Reggie, by following some of the other pieces, since landmarks changed every time. "Prince Hargreaves, glad you're back and present. We we're just about to assume our positions, oh give him the commanding tool will you" the white queen ordered one of the servants before she and the king left to go to the board. "Commanding tool?" Reggie saw the servant come up to him and hand him not a tool, but a weapon. The servant gave him a dagger in a brown sheath. "Why am I being given this?" "Their majesties have decided you were trustworthy, and good at this enough to use this" the servant replied as Reggie held it. "Hard work and talent earns rewards does it not?" the servant walked away. Reggie held the weapon in his hands, just staring at it, honestly not sure what to make of it. Before this whole adventure, he would've been ecstatic about holding an actual weapon that they would use in the empire, he had never held one before. But for some reason now, he had mixed feelings, mainly because of the negative things he experienced during the first game. But he digressed, and clipped the sheath to his belt on his left side.

Alice, with the help of Jabberwock, found the red side. "Miss Liddell, or should I say queen Liddell. The only pawn of that last game to reach the other side, and such an achievement deserves such a platform" the red king congratulated. "Thank you, your majesty. I promise i will not disappoint you in this game" Alice assured, although as soon as the red king and queen left, worry overcame her again. She was going to help command this side to victory, what if something went wrong? What if something happened? She began to worry again, and Jabberwock noticed this. He watched the girl get nervous, over something she didn't want to do, but something she had to do, to free him. This was when Jabberwock realised this wasn't an act, she was genuinely trying to help him, by doing something she wasn't fully confident at. She didn't want to hurt him at all, and to think he had to kill-. He sighed 'How can this girl be evil?'

A servant then called out "A white pawn has moved two spaces!" Alice thought a while of what she could do, but then Jabberwock from behind her say "Move one of your pawns that are two squares away from it." She nodded and repeated that to the servant. Jabberwock didn't know how to play chess before, but after watching Reggie command the first game, he understood most of the rules, and Reggie's strategies. Another white pawn moved two spaces forward, and Jabberwock, when heard the coordinates of it, gave Alice an instruction. "Alice, one of your bishops can take it since you already moved the pawn in front of him." "But couldn't that put the bishop in danger, well I always suppose I can move it back." She ordered the bishop to take the pawn. Reggie on the other side deliberately moved the pawn there so it could be taken, as much as he didn't want to. He hated doing this, but he had to to make the red side win. He had to sacrifice his own pieces to achieve the end goal. He knew that you had to make sacrifices, but on this scale. Did British generals have to do these sort of things?

Princess Alba noticed how they weren't doing so well in this game. "Are you okay Sir Hargreaves? You don't seem to be doing so well this time" she asked concerned. "Oh yeah Alba. I just suppose they improved their tactics this game." "Well we could make a knight go to that square with the tree on it over there, that way it'll make their pawns more hesitant to come forward" Alba suggested. Reggie thought about it then realised that wouldn't affect the red side much. "Not a bad idea Alba." "Of course we'll have to evict the JubJub birds from that tree, otherwise they'll cause a fuss" Alba informed. "JubJub birds?" Reggie repeated. "If we move our knight there the birds will only bother him, it's best to move them." She gave the order for the knight to move to that square and to evict the birds from that tree. "We need to be on that square, it'll be useful for this game" concluded Alba. "So we're going to take that square and just move the birds out?" Reggie sounded unsure. "Already done Sir Hargreaves" Alba pointed to an area on the chessboard field where several birds suddenly flew up and tried to avoid the spears being thrown at them. "But, that tree was theirs" Reggie kept his eyes on them. "Well we had to take it to help with this game don't we?" Alba almost innocently asked. "Well, I suppose so."

The second game continued, and as planned, the red side was gaining the upper hand. With some help from Jabberwock, Alice actually commanded the red side better than she thought she would, although she knew this was partly because Reggie was deliberately making the white side lose. Both had their own experiences commanding the sides.

'If I move the bishop there it could be taken by that knight.' "Move the bishop over there instead" Alice ordered.

"Move our rook up the board, capture that square and the piece on it" Reggie ordered half heartedly.

'If my pawn is there the queen won't be able to move.' Alice stopped the pawn from moving.

"Send the other rook to that square, we need that as a flanking point, so we need to take it regardless" ordered Reggie.

"The knights are fine there, because they can jump over other pieces" Alice proclaimed.

"Keep the bishops there, they should be fine." They won't be fine, Reggie was sending them out to be captured. 'I hate doing that.'

"Now move the rook up there, the queen shall follow" Alice sent both pieces up the other end.

"I suppose we need more wood to sharpen the knights swords" Reggie realised and against his will ordered "Take the barkwood from the land we've taken." The knights took the wood, regardless of the animals living in the trees. "And move the queen." "Sir, some of their most important pieces the are vulnerable" a servant informed. 'Great, i have to make the red side win somehow.' Reggie then remembered 'What goes up when rain comes down? An umbrella' he figured out the march hare's riddle. He then ordered some of his pawns to form around the white side's important pieces, creating an umbrella shape, preventing the red's important pieces from being in danger, apart from two pieces.

"Oh no, their queen and rook are going on the offensive!" "Don't worry Alice, remember the castling move you did at the beginning, where you swap the rook's and king's position" Jabberwock reminded her. "Of course, that's what Reggie always does. Quick now there's no queen or other pieces protecting their king" she knew Reggie made it like that on purpose. "Move the queen up one square, and keep the rook where it is."

"And checkmate!" the timer of the chess kingdom announced. The red side had won, and Alice breathed a sigh of relief. "Well thank goodness for that. All we have to do now is put the last game into a stalemate and the staff should belong to us." "Easier said than done Alice" Jabberwock figured.

Reggie was relieved that it was over, and to be honest, he felt no better than he did after the first game. "Well that wasn't as good as a performance as your first game Hargreaves, are you feeling okay?" Alba put a hand on his upper arm.

"Yeah I, suppose I just wasn't focused this game" he replied.

"Maybe it was because of this animal" a servant called over, and some guards brought forward a captured strange looking animal with a shovel for a snout, who was clearly afraid. "We caught this thing going back and forth between the sides."

"Well that explains it. It's obviously supplying them information" Alba concluded.

"What? That thing? Now I don't much about this land but I'm pretty sure all it was doing was digging up dirt in lines. I doubt that thing can even talk" Reggie argued.

"Still, risks can't be taken Reggie. Since you're our prince, you do the honours."

"What honours?"

"We can't risk him running off and supplying information to the other side. Take your dagger and end him."

"Wait you mean-! No I, that creature can't even speak!"

"You are loyal to this side aren't you?"

Reggie looked back at the creature, and his heart started to race when he realised there was no getting out of this one. He hesitantly pulled the dagger out of the sheath, and stepped towards the animal. It was whimpering and Reggie raised the dagger slightly, preparing to use it. He was right next to the animal, and his hand was shaking even more. 'I can't do this, this is insane.' Reggie was saved however when a another servant running in the castle called out "It's alright. We've just found the tracks the animal made actually lead somewhere else!" "Well isn't that a twist. Alright you can let the creature go free" Alba ordered the guards to set it free, and the animal ran off, happy it survived.

"Maybe you'll get another or a denothor chance to do something like that Sir Hargreaves" Alba figured.

"Yeah, I, I just need to go somewhere" Reggie excused himself.

"Just remember we have the nightly chess party tonight Reggie. Be sure to attend" Alba reminded him. Night was starting to overtake Wonderland, somehow, and Abla had told Reggie that every night the chess people have a party in one of the castles, after the celebration of winning a chess game or course. This time it was in the white side's castle.

Reggie needed to clear his head. He had heard stories before about how soldiers had to execute a native who was going to reveal information to the enemy, he just assumed that native to be a traitor. He hadn't considered this before but, perhaps that native was doing it because he was offered food and shelter by the enemy, perhaps he had no choice? He stepped outside the castle and on something which moved. It was a chess square. "Oh uh, sorry there." The square then circled him and bowed. "Um, why are you-?" "You're the prince sir, it's at your service" a servant from not too far informed him. "Really?" Reggie smiled. "Okay." Maybe this'll help him clear his head.

 **So I decided to update some things in previous chapters as well to make more sense, for example in chapter 12 I changed it to the white royals having a daughter instead of the red ones. I might update some more things too. So this chapter got more serious towards the end didn't it? I love it when they put dark themes in children's stories. Alice in Wonderland belongs to lewis carroll, this version disney.**


	18. A night on Wonderland

Alice and Jabberwock followed all the other red pieces towards the white side of the board and towards their castle. Night had now fallen over Wonderland and both Alice and Jabberwock heard them talk about some sort of party over in the white castle. "Party? There's a party?" Alice wondered out loud and the red queen heard her. "Oh yes. The nightly party of the chess kingdom, a time to have fun and be joyous and all fantastic" the red queen described in an insane way. Alice wondered how often night actually came to Wonderland, and so how often these parties actually happened. They reached the white castle where there was a bright light coming from inside. The castle's brick wall opened up like a curtain to let the people in, which only Alice seemed to be surprised at. The servants were guiding Alice and Jabberwock towards what seemed to be a grand hall, until one chess person dressed in fine clothing holding a scroll stopped them. "Halt, can you identify yourselves?" he asked. "Well, I'm Alice Liddell-" "I asked for identity not names" the chess person interrupted. "Well aren't they the same thing-?" Alice was interrupted again. "An identity can mean status as well."

Alice rolled her eyes. "I am _queen_ Alice Liddell for the red side, who helped command the red side this past game-" "Ah, so I see" he had a habit of interrupting, and turned his attention to the tall figure beside her. "And, who is this?" "Oh, he's, my personal servant" Alice lied much to Jabberwock's relief. "Servants, belong in the room downstairs" the chess person strictly said. Alice and Jabberwock knew there was no point arguing. She looked at Jabberwock worryingly, but he gave her a reassuring smile and said "I'll be fine." Alice didn't like this at first, but after she thought it over, that if he did get into trouble he had powers and he could easily escape if they found out who he was. She smiled back and nodded, and Jabberwock, although nervous, followed the other servants downstairs. Alice was let into the main ballroom. 'Segregation of the servants and us, not much different from home then' she sighed.

Jabberwock, still in his cloak, followed the other servants down and through some bizarre corridors and into their room where they had their own party. He stood at the back of the room hoping no one would notice him despite being the tallest person in there. Music was playing and it wasn't organised, the party or the music. The servants were already engaged in dancing and the festivities and one dancing group accidently knocked Jabberwock into another group of dancing servants, who encouraged him to do so. Although hesitant at first, Jabberwock actually got caught up in the dancing.

Alice moved through the ballroom filled with the chess kingdom's elites. Not just the royals but the bishops, the knights, etc. All dressed in fine clothing, which made Alice feel a little self conscious because she was only wearing her blue dress and white apron. She was used to this type of environment as she had attended balls before with her family and associates of her family. Most people in this room were engaged in some insane conversation, and just like the parties back in Alice's world, the waltz's that people were doing had all these formal steps and routines to it. She hoped to find Reggie in here since he was a prince for the white side and was probably in here. And deep down, she hoped for whatever reason, he wasn't with that princess Alba. She still couldn't explain why she felt jealous at the thought of Reggie being with Alba. And speak of the devil, Alice heard a voice call for her. "Miss Liddell I'm glad you could make it" Alice turned to see the white princess, walking over to her. She was wearing a white silk dress and her hair was made up for the occasion. And to Alice's relief, Reggie wasn't with her.

"Oh, hello your highness."

"Oh please, just call me Alba. So Alice, I heard you became a queen for the red side and helped command it?"

"Yes, I was originally a pawn for them and reached the other side of the board, and became a queen."

"Well congratulations on the win. That wasn't all you was it?"

"I, did have some help. Um, have you seen Reggie anywhere?" Alice hoped to change the subject before Alba got suspicious about why she and Reggie were playing on opposite sides in a game for the Jabberwock staff.

"Sir Hargreaves? Oh he went flying off on a chess square somewhere, just after that last game. I hope he comes back soon, whenever night ends because we really need someone like him. I swear it was almost like he was letting the other side win or something."

"Yes well, he taught me some of his tactics too" Alice nervously laughed.

"You sure about that? I mean some of the moves of the red side that past game were very amateurish."

"Well I'm not as good as Reggie is" Alice defended.

"Hm, clearly. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if Reggie did let your side win, with the plan of strategy and responsibility you had."

"Me? I did not see you helping or commanding any side" retorted Alice.

"I was helping Reggie with both games. I'm the princess I know this like the front of my hand, unlike you, I mean you're not even dressed for this ball, what with those rags and that hair. Nothing but an excuse for a queen if I ever saw one. How would you ever fit in here, especially since the things you and that Hargreaves boy say don't make any sense. What he would ever see in you I don't know, and he couldn't even finish off one small animal."

"Ugh, I'll have you know that this dress is very valuable where I come from and there is nothing wrong with my hair. And me and Reggie are the ones who don't make any sense? Me and him have been friends for six years, so I don't have to take that from a, a, a spoiled stuck up obnoxious harlot like you!" Alice turned around and headed towards the balcony outside, leaving a scowling princess behind.

'Oh the nerve. Who is she to judge?' Alice rested on the railing of the balcony. This was just like her experience with the other girls, the daughters of her father's business friends, whom he tried to make her friends with. All they did though was make fun of her and condescend her. There seemed to be a pattern here, her 'morally superior' sister, the daughters of her father's friends, those flowers who had made fun of her and called her 'a weed' the first time she came to Wonderland, the queen trying to behead her, and now the white princess. She was beginning to hate the type of environment of the fancy ballrooms, the uptightness to everything. Ok not all of them were stuck up but some were and were very condescending. 'Sometimes I wish I can just fly away from these types of things-'

"Alice" Something appeared right in front of her catching her off guard. "Oh, R-Reggie?" Reggie was standing on a chess square floating in front of her. "She certainly wasn't joking when she said you went off on a chess square. Where did you get that?" "Well apparently as a prince this thing wants to serve me. You'll probably have one too as a queen" Reggie figured floating down on the balcony still standing on the chess square. "I think I'll be alright" Alice wasn't too keen after their last time on a chess square. "Well you're missing out Alice, I used it to fly around this land just now. I needed to clear my head after that last game. It was quite fun actually, more than I expected." "Well I'm glad you're having fun" Alice sighed leaning back against the railing. Reggie noticed her expression and stepped off the square and went to her side. "Alice are you okay?" Alice just sighed again and admitted. "Well, no, not really. It's not exactly that, fun, in there" she motioned inside. "Oh right the party. Well to be honest, I wasn't to keen on attending myself. I'm glad I explored Wonderland now." Reggie then got an idea.

"Why don't you fly with me Alice, on the chess square?" "Me? Well I-" "Reggie stepped on the square. "It'll be fun" he smiled offering his hand. "And don't worry I think I've finally learned how to master this thing." "Well I don't know." "C'mon Alice I know you, aren't you the slightest bit _curious_ about what's out there?" Alice couldn't deny that. And besides, isn't this what she wanted? Her best friend was right there offering to fly her away from all this. She decided. "Oh what harm can one flight do?" she took his hand and helped her on the square and it took off. Alice held on to the sides but Reggie seemed to be piloting it quite well. Alice eventually, but cautiously let go of the sides and almost fell back a bit but grabbed a hold of Reggie to stop her from falling. "So where to first? How about the upwards waterfall?" "Upwards waterfall? Why do I have an idea already of what that is?" Alice's hunch was right, the waterfall Reggie took them to was going upwards and wasn't technically a water _fall_. Since the water was going upwards Reggie had an idea. He flew the square through the waterfall with the water hitting the bottom of the square.

After they came out of it, both children were laughing. "What else is there Reggie?" Alice giggled excitedly like a child. "Well, I saw some other kingdoms not far from here. Do you want to go faster?" Alice nodded and then the chess square sped up. Reggie held on to the front of the square and Alice held on to Reggie, the night wind blowing against them and through their hair. They left the chess kingdom and entered another. "Where are we now?" asked Alice. "Well you know how there are four different card suits? Well this is the club's kingdom." They both flew down and flew through statues of the club symbol on the card. They flew to the spades kingdom next, where tunnels were literally dug with spades, and they sped through them. This was much faster than any horse and carriage Alice had ever been on, and so much more fun. She couldn't help but laugh all the way and Reggie kept smiling. And last the diamond kingdom where the skies were literally made of diamonds, making Alice and Reggie fly low. Reggie even picked up a diamond ring lying on a table somewhere in the kingdom and placed it on Alice's finger.

"That's most of the kingdoms i've explored, where to next?" Reggie wondered. "Hm, where did you say that rabbit hole was to?" Luckily, the chess square knew an alternative route there since Alice told them they would have to pass through a door and be in a shrunken state to do so. Alice and Reggie were sat near the top of the rabbit hole on a ledge, the chess square resting behind them. The two sat there, watching all the wacky things floating around the rabbit hole. "So this is how you came to Wonderland the first time?" "Why yes, I fell from up there, when I followed the white rabbit" Alice pointed upwards. By now Reggie's white jacket turned back into the brown one. "Y'know, we could fly back up there right now. We could leave this place" Reggie suggested and both children looked up, with just the slightest bit of temptation on their faces, but then dismissed it. "Of course not" Reggie said. "Is that a dagger Reggie?" "Oh this? Yeah, they handed this to me, a sign of trust I presume." "I bet you were ecstatic about receiving that" Alice chuckled. "I thought I would be too" Reggie held it in his hands. "The white side accused some sort of animal, since it was heading between both sides, for why they lost. It couldn't even talk and Alba wanted to execute it, and asked me to 'do the honours.' But I couldn't, and they set it free luckily. Amazing isn't it, I talk about facing up to beasts and slaying monsters and I can't even bring myself to kill one damn animal."

"Reggie" Alice said softly putting her hand on his. "I know you. It's not in your character to harm an innocent creature." Reggie smiled faintly but then said "But there's no way I'll be able to stand against a creature bigger than Jabberwock in his Jabberwock form." "Was that what Alba meant about not being able to finish off an animal?" "She told you?" "Well, kind of. We had a bit of an argument. She criticized my tactics at chess, but I retorted." "Did you use some of your famous insults?" "Some but I was justified. She told me I dressed in rags, that I was a sorry excuse for a queen, and what would you ever see in me?" Alice put her chin on her palm. Reggie couldn't believe it. This was similar to the times where she met him at their usual meeting place just after she'd been made fun of by, as far as he knew, the daughters of her father's business friends and they left her in tears, so he always did his best to cheer her up and she usually forgot about the things they said because of him. "Alice, by the look of things, why would I be friends with anyone else? I mean, you're probably the first human to discover this place, something more interesting than Victoria and her navy have ever found." Reggie never thought he would criticize the empire.

"And as far as we know, you're the only person to escape a beheading from the queen of hearts, walked up to an actual Jabberwock in it's form when we first met him, and given the fact that I even struggled at some points in that last game, shows that you're improving at strategy. They've clearly never been to England if they think what you are wearing are rags, and just for the record I think you're the most beautiful person in England and Wonderland."

Reggie turned away as soon as he realised what he said, and Alice looked at him with surprise. "Really?" she asked quite softly. "Well, it's a fact isn't it. Only an idiot would deny that" he avoided eye contact with her. Alice didn't know why before, but now, she knew she had every right to be jealous before at the thought of Reggie being with someone else. Just then, some floating object passed both of them catching them off guard and accidently making them fall off the ledge. They fell quite a way before Alice's skirt became like a parachute and she began to float down. She looked up to see Reggie falling as well, and none of his clothes could act as a parachute. Alice saw an umbrella floating next to her and grabbed it handing it quickly to Reggie as he fell past her. "Reggie use this!" "Alice what's an umbrella going to-" he opened it and he stopped falling. He was floating down instead.

"How this is working I don't know" Reggie admitted.

Alice looked around. "Well it's certainly been awhile since I've done this. I remember when I first fell down the rabbit hole I said 'now I shall think nothing of falling down the stairs'.

"You mean like that time when you-"

"Yes, don't bring that up" Alice folded her arms.

The chess square, who had just realised they had fallen, flew around the two. "Where were you just now?" Reggie asked. The square flew them both to another location in Wonderland where Alice and Reggie just played catch by a river with a clump of grass they pulled out and morphed into a ball. When Alice caught it, it turned into a square, when Reggie caught it, it became a triangle and so on. The moonlight came through and shone on part of the river. The moon was crescent, not because darkness was covering it, it was literally crescent. The grass ball landed on the river, but it didn't fall in. After they investigated, it seemed that the part of the river the moonlight was shining on you could actually stand on. "Why isn't this a truly amazing sight. Now this looks like a perfect setting for a ball" figured Alice. "Well I wouldn't know most about that Alice" admitted Reggie. "You don't? Oh, of course you don't. So you've never waltzed?" "Well, no. I don't even know how to." "Really? Oh that's actually a good thing, _I'll_ actually be teaching _you_ something this time" Alice chuckled.

"Oh, uh, I don't know Alice" Reggie had doubts. "Oh please Reggie, it'll be fun" she begged him. He gave in "Oh okay, how do you start?" "Well first, you have to ask for a dance." "Well in that case, may I have this dance milady?" he offered his hand. "You may" she curtseyed and walked up to him. "Then you have to assume dancing positions" she took his right arm and placed it around her waist, making Reggie blush. She put her left arm around his shoulder and took his other hand with her right one. "Someone normally leads. I'll lead and we do something called the box step, which goes like this." They stepped back and to the side, and forward and to the side. Reggie started to get the hang of it and the two developed into a steady waltz. They spun around and Alice did a few underarm turns and twirls on the river surface in the moonlight. She dipped and giggled, whilst Reggie laughed nervously. They continued for a while and Reggie felt something on his chest. He looked down to see the blonde girl resting her head against his chest, as they were now moving much slower and he was leading. What Reggie couldn't see was that Alice was smiling lovingly and had her eyes closed.

They were interrupted though, when the moonlight went away and both of them fell in the river. They climbed out eventually. "Are you okay Alice?" "Yes I'm fine, are you alright Reggie?" He nodded, and after both looking at themselves they burst out laughing. Whilst they rinsed themselves off, Alice looked up at the moon, slightly frustrated with it for ruining her moment with Reggie. Both were tired, and settled under a tree. "I do admit, falling in was rather fun, and funny, I might say" Alice admitted. "Really Alice?" asked Reggie. She yawned "Indeed" she rested her head on his shoulder. Reggie wondered why earlier he said she was the most beautiful girl in England and Wonderland. Okay yes, like he said, it was a fact that she was beautiful, genuinely beautiful. They had been underwater twice, and her makeup still somehow remained in tact. Maybe it was a spur of the moment thing but why was he suddenly starting to realise this? "Alice?" he said softly, but soon realised she had fallen asleep. He shook his head smiling and yawned. "Y'know Alice, after all the things I've seen, after all what's happened on this adventure, to me, you're the only thing that gets curiouser and curiouser."

 **An early chapter this time, I don't normally update this early which is curious in itself. This chapter was mainly fluff I know, but I felt like this was the part of the story where that came in. Quite a long chapter too. Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version Disney.**


	19. The final game and the truth

"Not here? What do you mean he's not here?" The queen of hearts exclaimed at one of her guards, the force of her voice blowing him back a bit. "I don't know your majesty. We've searched up and down, forwards and backwards, diagonally, everywhere!" The card guard on the floor explained. "Even every nook and cranny?" the queen of hearts questioned. "Even those your majesty" another card guard was literally checking nooks and crannies, even though they were just metaphors for something.

"Ohhh, when I find that big lumbering creature I'll, I'll, oh where could've he got to?" the queen angrily questioned as she walked outside Jabberwock's castle. "If he's gone out to find and finish that Alice girl he might be forgiven, but if he's not! Oh the punishments I'll have to think of."

"Couldn't we just find him and just, ask him why he went out my dear?" the small king of hearts tugged at his wife's dress.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" she looked down.

"Like this maybe" the king lifted up some grass and underneath were some footprints, exactly in Jabberwock's human form's size. "Ah?" the king ushered.

The queen smiled devilishly and turned around. "Guards!" she ordered and they stood at attention. "Would you follow these footprints and kindly escort me to wherever they lead." "Yes ma'am" the guards rushed to her and followed the order they were given obediently.

Jabberwock had to admit, it was a fun and crazy night. Night had decided to end and he walked out of the castle smiling. He'd gotten caught up in the music and the dancing, the festivities had delighted him. He forgot all about these fears he had of the chess people being evil, he had danced and partied with them for the whole night, enjoying all sorts of games. He waited outside the castle for a while for his two human friends, as more of the chess people were exiting. He instead saw them however floating over on a chess square and not from the direction of the castle. Reggie got off and offered his hand to help Alice off too. Reggie was taking to the chess square about something, and Alice recognised Jabberwock and walked over. "Jabberwo-, my servant, how was your night? You were you alright?" she asked concerned. "I'm fine Alice really. In fact it was actually quite a fun night, no one saw who I was. Anyway, how was your night? I noticed you didn't come from the castle."

"No, Reggie has a flying chess square, and he flew me and him across Wonderland. We flew to the other card kingdoms, the rabbit hole, an upwards waterfall, we even danced on the surface of a river and-" Alice seemed to seemed to drift off a bit and Jabberwock smiled. "Mm-hm" he smirked. "Oh, me and Reggie? we're not, I mean we're friends, and, it was just a friendly dance" Alice tried to deny. "You don't need to explain to me Alice" Jabberwock assured. "So are you two going to put this game into a stalemate?" he whispered. "Yes, me and Reggie on the way back planned out what we're going to do. Jabberwock, was, Reggie alright during the first game? It's just that he didn't seem too enthusiastic about planning this game" Alice whispered back. ""Well, he-" "Hello Jabberwock" Reggie came up to them, making sure no one around him heard that name. "Hello Reggie. I suppose we'll start the final game soon?" Reggie looked down at the floor for a bit and replied "Yes, I suppose it has to be done doesn't it? For your freedom-"

Trumpets were heard coming from not far away, emerging out of a forest, and just when the chess royals came out of the castle. "Your majesties! We have a royal visit from one of the other kingdoms!" the chess timer called out. "Oh just a royal visit" Reggie dismissed. "From which kingdom?" the red queen asked the timer. "Your majesty, the king and queen of hearts are blessing us with a visit" he informed to everyone standing outside the castle. The three friends looked at each other and silently exclaimed "The queen of hearts!"

"She must've realised i'm not in my castle" one of Jabberwock's biggest fears was realised. "And she followed you here" Reggie concluded. "Jabberwock, you have to hide" Alice told him, and Jabberwock knew he couldn't use his powers in front of everyone because that would give him away. Before he did hide, he grabbed a cloak lying near the entrance of the castle and gave it to Alice. "You'd better hide too Alice, she despises you." Jabberwock left and after giving her the cloak and went to hide behind a tree somewhere. Alice put the cloak on but there was a problem, it didn't have a hood. Reggie had his hand in his jacket pocket, and remembered that he still had the blue headscarf which he took from the white rabbit's house. "Alice put this around your head." "Where did you get that?" "I took it from the white rabbit's house, put it on quickly" he tied 'Mary anne's' headscarf around her. They tried to get out of the crowd, but the chess people crowded around to see the royal visitor, and Alice and Reggie couldn't escape out of the group of people.

"Your majesties, the queen of hearts" one of the card guards announced to the chess royals. The king of hearts came forward waving his hand. "And the king." The chess royals, blissfully unaware of the queen's hatred of them, greeted her. "Your highness, we are honoured to have you visit this kingdom, are you here to spectate and visit? Or just spectate? We were just about to start a very important game" the white queen shook her hand. "Oh I'm just here visiting neighbouring kingdoms, greeting all the subjects of them. A monarch should know subjects in other kingdoms hm?" the queen of hearts wiped her hand she shook with on her dress.

"Stay behind me Alice" Reggie whispered as they backed against the crowd a bit, trying to be less visible. "She doesn't know me."

"Well you're all looking healthy and active and stationary at the same time. No hint of injuries, or slashes across the throat, all of you seem so free" she walked past most of the chess people. Most had never met a monarch of another kingdom. "Indeed it'll be a pleasure seeing you all again. Maybe." She walked past Reggie as she said this and Alice tried not to draw attention to herself. Reggie just looked the queen up and down not saying anything, and he was on edge, fiercely protective of Alice behind him. "Well that's the visit done then, maybe we'll visit again sometime in the future or after whenever night decides to fall again. Guards, we shall be off" the queen ordered. "Bye everyone, nice seeing you all" the king of hearts waved. "Farewell your majesties, see you in whatever way time decides to move" the white king saw them off. "Well, time to get on with this final game. Remember, whoever wins this, wins the Jabberwock staff."

The chess people each went to their positions soon after to start the next game. Jabberwock came from behind the tree and rejoined Reggie and Alice. "Thank goodness they didn't tell her about the Jabberwock staff. I noticed you two got stuck in the crowd, were you alright?" "Yeah, she walked past us and looked me up and down, but Alice managed not to catch her attention behind me" Reggie told him. Reggie finally found out what the queen looked like. He couldn't help but draw the parallels between her and queen Victoria, physically anyway. Except the queen of hearts wasn't wearing black in mourning, and she was more loud, at least to her 'card guards' that he heard about from Alice.

"Did she come here because of you Jabberwock?" Alice asked taking off the headscarf. "I think she must've followed my tracks here. Luckily she can't look around for me here without looking too suspicious. She raised me to hate the chess people, and originally to attack them, so she can't tell anyone a Jabberwock's here." The third game was about to begin so they had to leave quite soon. "Well I don't think she'll be in this kingdom for much longer. Once we get the staff we'll free you and you will be able go outside in your Jabberwock form, and hopefully live a peaceful life somewhere" Alice assured, taking off the cloak. "I hope so Alice" Jabberwock smiled faintly. "Good luck you two, oh and Alice, remember the stalemate we planned" Reggie reminded, and Jabberwock transformed his jacket into the white one. "Yes, I'll try to remember, good luck." Alice went to the red side with Jabberwock and Reggie headed back into the white castle. 'Here we go again' Reggie sighed in his head.

The queen of hearts was now on the outside of the chess kingdom, sitting near the border on a chair which a card guard folded out from a stick. "Call my servants here quickly. Have them search around the border of the chess kingdom, to see if he left it" ordered the queen. "Right away ma'am" the cards saluted before running off. "And be here on the triple!" she called to them. "I don't understand it. I made it so he would be practically terrified and hateful of the chess people. Surely they must've seen him now. Unless he's hiding in there, waiting to draw his blood so he can attack, oh what a clever creature. I might as well watch this 'very important game' the chess people are having before they are all enslaved."

Reggie took his usual position of commanding the white side, as the game was about to start. Alice took her position too, and the third game began. "Ah Sir Hargreaves, glad to see you back. With you here, exercising that command, our side is sure to win the Staff" princess Alba proclaimed. "Mm-hm" Reggie only said coldly and didn't turn to look at her. She was fun at first but now, and after what he heard her say from Alice about both him and her, and almost making him kill a creature, she wasn't so fun to be around now. Both children acted out their plan, and took more pieces than the first two games, which Reggie seemed to hate. Alice wasn't heartless or anything. She knew the worst thing that would happen to them would be getting captured, but she didn't make the parallels that Reggie was, due to Reggie's experience and following overseas campaigns in the news. The game went something like this:

White king's pawn forward one. Red rook's pawn forward two. White queen diagonally right to the edge of the board. Red rook forward two. White queen takes the red pawn that moved out. The other rook's pawn moves to where the queen just was. White queen takes the pawn in front of a red bishop. The red rook that moved out moves to the other side of the board. A white rook's pawn moved out to face the red pawn that moved out. The white queen takes the pawn in front of the red queen, putting the red king in check.

The red queen wondered why she couldn't just take the white queen in front of her. She waited for the order to but Alice never gave it. Alba was also wondering why Reggie was making all these strange moves. Strange enough for Wonderland.

Something came up however, both Alice and Reggie were informed about white and red pawns that were injured. In a struggle when the white rook's pawn moved forward, he knocked over a tree, which fell on both pawns, injuring them. "Sir Prince, foot soldier man has been injured! A tree fell on him!" a servant informed Reggie. "A pawn's injured? Who's going to take his place, are there any other pawns?" he turned to Alba as much as he hated talking to her now. "Seemingly not, if it seems that way" she replied. Reggie took that as a no, and decided something drastic. "I'll take his place, but I'm still in command okay." He left the castle and took the place of the pawn, and watched the pawn be carried away injured. 'Did I cause that?' A servant on the red side informed Alice about the injured pawn. "Oh goodness, is he alright?" she asked concerned. Once finding out he was, Alice had to make a decision. 'Oh I can't just let this game come to an end already' "Jabberwock, could you please tell them that I'm still in command, I'm going to take that pawn's place." "Wait Alice!" Jabberwock called after her but she didn't hear him.

She headed to the square which happened to be just in front of Reggie. "Reggie, is your pawn okay?" she saw that he had the same idea as her. "Yes he'll be fine. I'm commanding the game from here, are you-?" "Yes I'll be doing that as well. Hopefully the plan we made to put this into stalemate will still be successful."

The game resumed and the red king moved out of check. Reggie commanded the white queen to take another pawn, and she was right in line to be taken be a red bishop, but Alice did not order for him to take her. 'I have to make sure this goes right, Jabberwock's freedom is on the line' she reminded herself. She moved the red queen in different places as well as the king, so know they were both surrounded by several of their pieces. Reggie was on a field, practically leading a battle against an opponent and ordering where each person had to move. This should be what he always dreamed of doing, but the reality of it. After taking two more pieces with the white queen, the time came to enact the stalemate. "Okay, it should be over in this one final move." He moved the white queen to a square, so that wherever the red king moved, he would place himself in check, but he wasn't in check right now.

"Well this is preposterous, I can't move anywhere" the red king realised. "Without putting yourself in check anyway" observed the red queen. "Wait, then that equals to-" "A stalemate!" the chess timer interrupted the white queen. "Third game over, everyone to the red castle" the timer called out.

Reggie and Alice heard this, and Alice smiled in delight. "Stalemate, Reggie, we did it!" she ran to hug him and he hugged back. "Now the Jabberwock staff belongs to no one!" "Except us of course. We were the ones originally designated to take it in the first place" he remembered. "Yes, now let's find it, I believe it's placed on a tree someplace" she ran into a direction. Reggie was about to follow her when he noticed the fallen over tree, and noticed something underneath, some sort of nest. He rolled the tree over barely and saw what was there, which made him recoil back slightly. It the nest of two birds, two very strange looking birds but living creatures nonetheless. Except, they weren't living anymore, the tree had crushed them. 'No' was all Reggie could think at first. He didn't the birds were there, he didn't know the tree would fall, but he only blamed one person. 'If I hadn't ordered the pawn to take another, this wouldn't have-' he turned and ran in the same direction as Alice did. 'I need to see something.'

The servants of the queen of hearts had just finished looking around the chess kingdom and reported back to the queen. "Your majesty" one of them came up. "Wasn't there two of you?" as she asked this, a door of a tree trunk opened and out stepped another servant. "Ma'am, we've our way round-" "Your way?" the queen interrupted her. "Your way, your majesty, around the kingdom, and all the pieces ended in a stalemate, so they're heading back to the red castle." "Ha, and they told me it was an important game. One should clearly tell a royal the truth after all, and-" "We believe they're playing for something called the Jabberwock staff" the other servant informed, making the queen almost trip up at those words. "Jabberwock staff!" she repeated, yelling. "So it does exist." During her time raising Jabberwock, she had decided to learn all possible information about these creatures, and she knew the power of the staff all too well. "I think it's time for another, simple visit to the red castle, it's not too soon after all."

"Look, there it is, up on that tree" Alice pointed to the staff and tried to climb up. Luckily she had remembered where they had placed the staff. Reggie followed and caught up with her, and he helped her climb up and they both grabbed the staff. They slipped at the top but a beam of light shot from the staff, turning the grass they landed on into a mattress. They stepped off and it turned back into grass. "Well, hopefully now all we have to do is to find Jabberwock, free him, and explain to the chess people that he's no trouble at all." Alice proclaimed with hope, but Reggie asked "Alice, do you think, that this thing can show you things, somehow?" "Show you things? Like what?" she became curious of Reggie's behaviour again. It was like something was bothering him, she had to know. Reggie had to know something too. "Can, can you show us things?" Reggie talked to the staff. But nothing happened. He sighed, but after two seconds, a light started emitting from the staff, or more like a grey mist. Reggie and Alice jumped back a bit when this happened, and they realised "It responded to me" he and Alice looked at each other.

Reggie had to know now. Images of the dead birds played in his mind. All the overseas campaigns he read about, and how he compared it to the chess games he had just played, where he sent people out to be injured and captured, and do the exact same thing to the other side, and stealing from lands that wasn't his. With the staff in his hands he asked "Show me the empire."

The staff seemed to know what he meant, and images projected by the staff came up in front of him. Alice stepped back a bit at the sudden light and shielded her eyes but Reggie stood where he was. And what he saw was far different to what he read in the papers or heard from the news or in his father's letters. He saw an empire built upon the banks of slavery. He knew they had abolished slavery but he never knew they built themselves on it. He saw massacres of rebellions, like in India, south Africa. The killing of Aborigines and Maoris. And taking all the riches the countries have for themselves. On top of all that, innocent British men were killed, because like him, they were told this was a good cause. Reggie's world collapsed around him. Everything he believed in, the protectors of the world, a lie. He dropped the staff in disbelief and shook his stepping back a bit. His white jacket turned back into the brown one. "It, it can't be true." Although Alice didn't see it, she had now worked out what was going with him. She didn't know much about the empire herself, but she did know that whatever Reggie saw, it wasn't as glamorous as he thought it would be. "Reggie?" "It can't, my father, where is he right now-?" he went to pick up the staff again but Alice had to stop him there.

"Reggie wait. Before you do, there's, something you have to know. Sit down." She ushered to a log next to them and she sat him down beside her. If there was anytime, it had to be now. She couldn't delay it any further, she had to tell him now, about the man he hero worshipped. She took his hand with hers.

"Now Reggie, you're probably wondering why letters from your father stopped coming months ago aren't you?"

"Well yes, but I just assumed the letters were destroyed in a storm on the ship home or something" he explained, worry building up inside him of what Alice was going to say.

"Well, one day months ago, I overheard a conversation, between my mother and yours. And my mother, informed yours of some, very sad information she received. Reggie, your father, isn't coming home." Tears formed and she didn't look Reggie in the eye.

"Alice?" his voice started shaking.

"Your father's dead Reggie."

 **You know I don't think I've actually cleared this up or explained this yet, but if anyone's confused by the summary, this fanfic is based in the 1951 animated version, but it's as if the events of 'through the looking glass' book has happened as well. So imagine after the film, Alice went back again, and then after that this fanfic happens. I just hope the plot isn't too confusing, tell me what you think. I really do like Reggie however. I honestly feel like he and Alice have a good chemistry together. I wish he was an actual Alice in Wonderland character. I wanted to create someone who had their own Journey and character arch to go through, as well as someone that Alice in this version would feel like she would be genuinely friends with. Wishful fanfic writer thinking I suppose. Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version Disney.**


	20. Captured

Jabberwock stood overlooking the kingdom, grateful the game was finally over. He was still wearing his cloak on tried to stay out of sight as best as he could. He heard the last game ended in stalemate, so therefore Alice and Reggie would no doubt come back here with the staff. He'd better find a suitable place to meet them soon, since they would try to free him with it, and it was best to free him when the other chess people weren't around them, so they wouldn't get scared and lash out or attack him. It would give time for Alice and Reggie to explain to them this whole situation. Jabberwock tried to sneak out of the area he was in, just outside the red castle. The area itself was filled with all the chess people including the royals who had just come back from the game. Just when he was about to approach the exit though, he heard another trumpet blow, and saw several card guards, who were approaching the gates at all weird angles. He knew what this meant.

'Oh no, what's she doing here?'

He tried to move towards the other gates but the guards were coming through all the gates. The trumpet playing came from a small white rabbit rushing in, who then announced the presence of his boss. "

"People of the chess kingdom, may I announce the second visit of her royal majesty, the Queen of hearts." One of his ears moved a bit as he heard something from somewhere. "And the King" the white rabbit said.

"Another visit already? Oh well it isn't too soon I suppose" the white king figured.

Jabberwock had to hide somewhere quickly. If he started moving towards the exits now, he would draw attention to himself, and they would see him since he was the tallest one there. Using any of his powers now would be too obvious with the queen. He hid behind part of a hedge which was just tall enough to hide him, and just in time, since the queen now made her way into the area. "Why hello there again your majesties" she greeted the royals as the king of hearts came up beside her. "Now do tell me about this 'stalemate' you've gotten yourselves into."

"What?" Was all Reggie could reply in a whisper.

"Apparently, from what I heard, there was an attack in south Africa, by some people called 'Zulus', and whilst fighting against them, he was struck down with a spear. All the Zulus were killed in that fight but, your father bled out before any help could get there" Alice explained wiping a tear from her eye.

Reggie looked down and was quiet for a second. Every part of him wanted to believe that Alice was lying. But she would never lie about something like that, and the expression on her face only confirmed it. "No, no my mother would've told me" he argued looking up.

"I don't think she wanted to tell you that the person you idolised so much was gone. I don't think she wanted to break your heart" Alice wiped the tears from her face.

Reggie became quiet again, and stood up from the log and walked a few steps away from it, one or two tears streamed down his face. Now this was serious, Alice had never seen him cry before. He looked back at the staff. First the revelation of everything he grew up believing in was a lie, now his father was gone, permanently. "Take the staff back and free Jabberwock, I, I'm heading off somewhere" he said in a quiet tone and brought his hands up to face.

Alice stood up as well. "I understand, just don't get lost okay?" She walked over to the staff and picked it up. She was about to walk back to the red castle grounds when she turned back around and said "Reggie. I'm sorry, I didn't want to have to tell you and, I'd thought you should have a right to know. And whatever it was you saw on that staff, about the empire, whatever you believe about being a hero now. Just remember, fending off the scare birds, leading a chess game, cheering me after an argument with my family or after being made fun of, introducing me to fun new games, being my best and only friend. You're still _my_ hero, you always were. Ever since the day I first met you."

Alice turned back around with a sad expression and headed in the direction of the red castle, following the squares on the chess kingdom to it. Reggie didn't know what to do. He was overwhelmed with all these thoughts and feelings, grief and confusion. He started walking at quite a fast pace, pushing past all the bushes and whatever strange brambles that were in his path, not caring that the pathways he was on kept changing shape and direction. He started running now, as if he were trying to shake the images of what the staff had shown him out of his head. He didn't care where he was going anymore, ignoring Alice's advice of not getting lost. He ran past the border of the chess kingdom and into an area which was surrounded by hedges. He stopped and just sat down against one. 'I thought we were heroes already. I thought my father was a hero. I thought my father was still alive.'

As he was sat there, two figures were sat on some rocks watching him, and not to far away from him. "Poor boy" one of them remarked as she turned to the other servant. "Indeed. Something has definitely gone downhill for him" the other proclaimed as he pulled a branch as if it were a lever, and all of a sudden the grass floor Reggie was sat on turned diagonal. "What the-" Reggie was snapped out of his thoughts when he suddenly started to tumble. He grabbed part of the hedge to stop him from falling. "What the heck's going on?" Reggie started to look around. The servants were standing on the diagonal floor perfectly without falling themselves, just watching him. Reggie took out the dagger from his belt and jabbed it into the ground as something to hold onto. His hands were still sweaty from running however, and he lost his grip on both.

He fell and the rocks that the servants were sitting on fell too, directly at him. He desperately grabbed a hold of a branch sticking out of the hedge and it swung him to the side and straight through to the other side of the hedge, and landed on a flat grassy surface. The servants, believing the falling rocks killed him, since they didn't see him swing, simply walked down the diagonal surface and pulled the dagger out. Reggie got to his knees and with a determined look was about to investigate what happened, but then he stopped for some reason. What was the point? He didn't feel much like exploring something new anyway.

Alice had to remember to tell the chess royals, since the last game ended in a stalemate so no one owns the staff, except for her and Reggie since they were originally designated to find it. She would then have to take Jabberwock somewhere in order to free him and he would be able to transform into his Jabberwock form outside of his castle. She thought she'd be doing that alongside Reggie, freeing Jabberwock together, and making peaceful a relation between him and the chess people. Then it would all be over. She had to find him after this. She didn't want to leave him, but he said he wanted to go somewhere else, and she respected that. She didn't know which guilt was worse. The guilt of not telling Reggie about his father, or the guilt of telling him. She didn't know much about the empire, but he had clearly seen something on that staff. She decided to let him have time to get his thoughts together and deal with the grief.

She spotted one of the entrances to the castle grounds of the red castle and she entered through one the gates. She was expecting to see just the chess people there and maybe Jabberwock in his cloak, but when she entered she gasped to see the card guards, the queen of hearts servants, and the queen herself on the grounds talking to the chess royals. On first instinct she was about to turn and head back out the entrance, but one of the card guards turned his head and was about to see her so she quickly hid behind one of the chess people.

She held the staff behind her back, holding it at an angle so she could hide it completely. Her head was still visible over the shoulder of the chess people she was hiding behind, she had to think quickly. She felt around in her skirt apron pocket and luckily for her, she still had that headscarf from earlier which Reggie gave to her. It was Mary Anne's headscarf. She tied it around her head quickly and kept her head down. She had no idea how to use the Staff's power, which would've been really useful right now. She looked up and around desperately trying to find Jabberwock, as her biggest fear was that they found him and had done something to him. She couldn't make an attempt for the exit until she knew what happened to Jabberwock.

Jabberwock was still hiding behind the hedge, unable to use any of his powers since it would be too obvious to the queen. He contemplated turning his cloak invisible and sneak out but someone would feel him sneaking past.

"So this 'queen' for the red side you told me about, and informed me at the same time, what did she look like?" asked the queen of hearts.

"Well, she looks like me really as I am the red queen" the red queen replied.

"I didn't mean you, I meant, that _other_ red queen you said" the queen of hearts asked slightly frustrated.

"Oh, well she has long blonde hair, a blue dress and white apron and-" Whilst the queen of hearts was listening to this with a smirk, Alice and Jabberwock were looking around to find the other, and finally they spotted each other, as Alice was at a position where she could just see him. He noticed her too, and picked up a few braids of grass and used his powers to shape into words spelling: get out of here.

'I can't' she mouthed back. 'Please' he spelt out. "And she went out on the chessboard land you say?" the queen of hearts continued, obviously not pleased that Alice was not here. However the stalemate of the last game did give her an idea. "Do you mind, if I have a quick word and talk with my guards?" the queen faked politeness. She ordered her guards to come to her. "Now" she whispered. "Search this chess kingdom area whilst these people are here, and see if you can.." whilst the guards were listening to her, Alice knew she could make a break for the exit, Jabberwock could escape after the queen left. The white rabbit started looking around the place, when he spotted a girl in a headscarf, a headscarf he recognised. "Mary Anne? Now what's she doing here?" he wondered and he walked up to her. Alice didn't notice him, and tried to get to the exit. "Now what are you doing here Mary Anne? I thought I asked you to look after the house?" he looked up at her.

"What?" Alice looked down. "Mr white rabbit. Look I'm not Mary Anne, and I have to leave this place-" but the white rabbit ignored her. "And what is that thing you're holding behind your back?" he grabbed ahold of the staff before Alice could protest, and when he did, the staff shot a beam of energy into the air, which everyone turned to see, including the queen of hearts and Jabberwock, and the headscarf that Alice was wearing fell off. "You're not Mary Anne, you're that girl who upset the queen" the white rabbit finally realised. Alice couldn't be frustrated with him now, as she looked up to see everyone staring.

"Well" the queen of hearts said in a slow gleeful like tone, as she emerged from the group of card guards. "What do we _finally_ have here" she walked forward a bit towards Alice, whom was gripping the staff tightly, fear overtaking her. This had done it now, she was once again face to face with the queen of hearts. "How long has it been, Alice? Time moves in so many different directions you know." Before Alice could say anything, a voice exclaimed "No, don't hurt her!" Jabberwock emerged from his hiding place and tried to get to Alice. "Mistress, please, don't hurt her!" "Jabberwock no!" Alice called out, which then alarmed the confused chess people.

"Jabberwock!" all of them started exclaiming as the hood of his cloak fell down and they all gasped in fear.

" _He_ was the Jabberwock!" one bishop yelled.

"Right next to our noses, this whole time!" a rook shouted.

Some of the knights stepped in front of Jabberwock, holding their swords in their hands, although they were visibly terrified. This prevented him from reaching Alice. He couldn't hurt the chess people, that would only justify them killing him.

"Ah, so that's where you've been my pet. After I discovered you snuck out of your castle, against _my_ orders!" she raised her voice.

"Pet? Mistress?" the red queen asked.

"You mean, you own him?" the red king implied.

"I raised him. To be very obedient, originally." The queen of hearts clicked her fingers and two card guards grabbed Alice's arms and she dropped the staff. "Let go of me" Alice wasn't strong enough to break free.

"What are you doing with our queen?" the white king demanded.

"Your _queen,_ was no doubt, judging by my pet's outburst, in league with Jabberwock, if you go by that logic. A logic which will get him in very big trouble" the queen of hearts eyed Jabberwock. "And also why she was trying to get the staff no doubt."

"How do you know about the staff?" Alice looked up at the queen.

"I raised Jabberwock. My guards discovered him as a cub, it's only right to know everything related to his species in his short years growing up. Including Jabberwock staffs." The Queen picked up the staff. "Did you say, you played for this staff and the last game was in a stalemate?" she turned back to the royals.

"Yes, that means no one, and no creature owns the staff" the red king informed, but he was angry at the queen of hearts clearly, as they had found out she was raising such a ferocious beast.

"Except" Alice spoke up. "Me and Reggie were originally designated to find the staff. The only pieces to actually be assigned to have the staff, doesn't that mean me and him should own it?"

"But I thought you and that little friend of yours became different pieces?" the queen asked rhetorically.

"What?" Alice's face fell.

"From what I heard from the royals, you and your friend became a queen and a prince, different pieces. So doesn't that mean you aren't designated to take the staff anymore?" the queen found a loophole.

Alice and Jabberwock looked at each other, fear on their faces. Alice couldn't believe herself right now. How did she not think about that? Her and Reggie's plan completely backfired, but Alice only blamed herself. She didn't think everything through. 'Oh no. Oh how could I have been so stupid!' Alice scolded herself. 'I should've just ran when I had the chance!'

"And, as the one who raised Jabberwock it's only right for his owner to have something related to him, especially since I know how to use it. After some good advice-" the queen saw the king of hearts pointing at himself. "I decided to learn more about his species, including the staffs themselves." The Queen then suddenly fired a beam from the staff, and placed all of the chess people forcefully kneel, and put handcuffs on Jabberwock. "He can't go into his Jabberwock form outside anyway, but that doesn't mean he can't use his powers. Those handcuffs will put a stop to that" the queen twirled the staff, as Jabberwock tried to use his powers but a streak of pain struck him from the handcuffs when he did.

"Jabberwock!" Alice cried out, falling to her knees, and the queen of hearts fired a beam which put Alice in chain handcuffs as well. "Oh why didn't I just find this thing in the first and last place?" the queen of hearts chuckled. "It would've been much quicker than raising you for so long to attack the chess kingdom and kill the Alice girl" she turned to Jabberwock.

"What?" Alice looked over to him. "What?" all the chess people called out at the same time.

Jabberwock, who was also being forced to kneel by the staff, just looked to the ground, he had to tell them the truth. "My mistress raised me not just believing the chess people were evil, but you were too Alice. She told me about the crime of getting on her bad side. She originally wanted me to kill you. You see, a Jabberwock who's domesticated has to draw it's first blood, in order to go outside in it's Jabberwock form. But after actually finding out who you were, and that you did nothing but help me, and go through all this just to free me, I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill you or Reggie. And I couldn't attack the chess people either, not after seeing what they were really like."

"Ah! So you did deliberately disobey _my_ orders after all!" the queen shouted. "What happened to you my dear Jabberwock" she asked in a soft tone. "You could've been my successor." She then raised her voice. "But now you'll be imprisoned again. You're lucky I still have use for you. As for the rest of you. Your kingdom is now mine, and you shall all be executed, starting with you Alice."

"You wanted to kill us all!" shouted princess Alba. "You were planning to take us over!" the white queen realised.

"Oh just wait 'til my friend realises what you've done" Alice warned the queen, but a voice came from the entrance. "Your friend, won't be a bother or a problem anymore." The two servants returned. "We spotted that scruffy boy, and we're afraid he had a little accident."

"What, what do you mean?" Alice looked over to them, confused.

"Well it wasn't technically an accident as it that would imply it wasn't deliberate. But he was flattened, by some, falling rocks."

"What? No! You couldn't of-, I don't believe you" Alice tried to deny, or more like, wanted to deny.

"Well" the servants provided the dagger Reggie had as evidence. "We would've just done it sooner but not every part of land can turn diagonally. Luckily the part he was standing on at that time could."

"You could've just taken that from him!" Alice continued to deny. Tears forming in her eyes.

The Queen of hearts then used the staff to bring up an image, which showed Reggie falling down the diagonal land, and the rocks falling after him. The Queen shut off the image before it could show Reggie swinging to safety. And most of the chess people who saw it, and Alice and Jabberwock, were in complete shock. "So that was your little friend? Oh if only I had known that earlier" the queen remarked.

"No" Jabberwock whispered. Alice looked back down at the floor after seeing that. There was no denying it now. Tears fell from her eyes and to the floor. "Reggie" she spoke almost in a whisper, her lip quivering."You, you monsters!" Alice shouted, anger taking her for a brief moment, and she stood up and attempted to run to the queen, but was stopped by the card guards behind her. Alice didn't know what she would've done anyway, she wasn't a physical person. Alice fell to her knees again, tears streaming down her face, in complete shock and grief.

"Well, I suppose this calls for a celebration! With the staff in my hands the chess kingdom will be mine and I'll finally be able to do what I should've done years ago" the queen turned to Alice. "Take them all back to my castle, Alice's beheading shall be first."

 **It's been awhile since I updated, and it's almost a year now this fanfiction has been going on. A whole year and only 20 chapters so far, kind of bad I know. But now the story starts to get really interesting, and it's coming up to the final events, and the Queen of hearts knows how to use the staff. This shall be interesting. Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version disney.**


	21. Father?

Reggie was sat down on a rock near the end of the hedge he was just by. The rock he was sitting on was near the edge of a small lake of water, which Reggie was staring down at his reflection into. He knew he had to head back soon, no doubt Alice had freed Jabberwock by now, making him be able to go outside in his Jabberwock form. Heck, maybe he would even see him in his Jabberwock form flying around the place, like a some sort of beast that Reggie was hoping one day to go up against. A beast similar to him. But he didn't know anymore, he didn't know what being a hero meant. Was it like the classic fairytale hero? Which was always the type he wanted to be and, when he was younger, always pictured his late father as exactly that. Or was it the type of the soldier? Just a scared man with his fellow scared men waiting to rush into battle with no choice but to obey the order they were given or face treason.

The fairytale hero was not at all like the real life hero. Reggie wondered if fairytale heroes were only made up to hide what the real life hero was like, how terrifying it was. Not some knight in shining armour but more like an injured one legged soldier with a medal on his chest as if that was supposed to make up for it. He also wondered about whether they were just told they were heroes to distract them from the fact they were just pawns in Queen Victoria's giant chess game. His so called heroic empire were just being told to take land for their own. "I just don't understand why dad wouldn't tell me about these things-"

"You don't understand? Or just don't want to?" A voice came from behind startling Reggie, and he turned around to see the March Hare resting on top the hedge, a cup and saucer in his hand. "Or are you just pretending not to understand?"

"You? How did you find me here and, what do you want anyway? Can't you just leave me alone?" Reggie turned back facing the lake.

"It's not hard to spot someone who clearly has forgotten their manners from the last tea party. You'd think after offering them food they'd be a little more thankful." The Hare said that last part more to himself.

"I'm sorry ok, But I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"Ooh, that means you have a lot to discuss, and why does someone saying they have a lot on their mind always mean they're depressed or stressed anyway?"

"I don't want to deal with this" Reggie sighed, quite frustrated with him and walked over to another rock on the edge of the lake.

"So was it something to do with the staff boy?" a voice from Reggie's left caught him by surprise, as he turned to see the March hare right next to him again.

"What? How did you-?" Reggie decided not ask how he got there without him seeing.

"Do you know what you need now my boy?" The Hare asked, opening his coat and pulling out a very long kettle and some tea ingredients.

"I don't want anything right now."

"Silly boy, of course you do. But the first step to clearing what you are distressed about, is the best beverage known isn't it?" The March Hare then offered him a cup, but upon seeing the drink, Reggie begun to have flashes of India run through his mind.

"I don't want that right now" he pushed it away, and the Hare just replied "More ingredients for me then!"

The Hare then begun to mix around some ingredients in the large kettle. "You know, after drinking from the same kettle for so long, after over the years it served you your most favourite kind of tea, once you look into it, you really start to see how dirty it is" he proclaimed.

Reggie knew what the hare was getting at. He sighed, the Hare clearly wouldn't go away. "Look I, I saw some things on the staff, images, that it showed me. And I'm starting to question things. I just thought-" he said again, and explained in a more quiet and morseful tone. "I thought that being a hero meant being like the classic fairytale hero. Saving a kingdom or a land, going up against an army, showing courage skill and intelligence when fighting the enemy, fighting an evil tyrant with a sword who transforms into some sort of beast or dragon, rescuing a damsel and saving the land." He sighed again. But it seems, it seems that to be a hero in the real world you have to be a part of the official that holds down the people whilst the businesses go through their pockets."

"You know, I still need the kettle despite it being dirty. You seem to walk under a load of memories you wish to share but for some reason can't. I on the other hand like sharing my kettle, like this." The Hare grabbed Reggie's hand and put it in the kettle, where Reggie quickly yanked it out after being slightly scolded by it. It wasn't that hot, as the pain went away quite quickly.

"Ah! Why the hell did you do that?" Reggie yelled holding and shaking his hand.

"Sorry my boy, I just needed someone who was related to him to put their hand in here" The March Hare explained.

"Related to him? What are you talking about-?" Reggie stopped mid sentence, as he saw some unusual steam rising from the kettle. Unusual even for this land.

It slowly rose high, and did all twists and turns, which started to become faster. The March Hare just sat there with a big smile on his face. It became larger and started shaping into something, a figure even.

It got to the point where you could even make out facial features on it, and then the identity of the figure itself, which Reggie recognised all too well. His jaw dropped and he slowly stood up, still holding his hand, and backed away, still keeping his eyes fixed on the steam figure in disbelief. He then, in almost a whisper, spoke out "Father?"

Inside the Queen of heart's castle, where she kept the chess people she had just captured with the staff, the last of them were being put into dungeon like cells. The inside of the castle, mainly the corridors, were all in topsy turvy shapes, but they were all somehow escorted through it as if they were walking normally.

Jabberwock had been thrown into a cell with the handcuffs which prevented him from using his powers still on. And the cell right next to him, was where Alice was thrown into, her handcuffs removed, as she didn't pose much of a threat.

She had been silent for most of the journey back to the heart's kingdom and to the castle. Although on the inside, her emotions were running rampant. She was filled with grief, disbelief, and self disappointment. She was blaming herself for what happened. For everything that happened. And as soon as she was thrown into the cell, in the heat of the moment, she was filled with some sort of determination. She couldn't let all this happen she just couldn't!

"There must be a way out of here there must be!" she began searching around the walls of the cell to find anything that she could escape through. She went to the back of the cell, and as soon as she did, the cell's wooden door opened. Alice couldn't believe it! She made an attempt for the door, but as soon as she got close, it shut again.

"What?" she tried the same thing again, going to the back of the cell and once again, the door opened. But the same outcome happened, it closed every time she got near it. Jabberwock, in the cell next to her, heard what she was doing. She needed to be comforted somehow, but he was never one for that sort of thing.

"Alice? Alice it'll just keep closing every time you go near it. It won't work."

"Maybe if I speed up a bit it'll-"

"Alice."

She stopped and the door slammed shut, one final time, leaving her in the dark cell. All determination left her, and was replaced by hopelessness. She turned around to see a large rock lying in the middle of the cell. "Well I, I suppose there's nothing left to do but to, but sit down here and, and,"

"Alice" Jabberwock tried to speak to her from the other side of the wall. "We'll find a way through this, we'll be alright in the end, I know we will." He wasn't any good at this. It didn't help either that he knew he was lying. He knew his 'mistress' and although insane, how cunning she could be. But he couldn't just tell Alice flat out that her, and the chess people were going to die. But he then heard Alice speak.

"I should've listened Jabberwock. I should've planned this out. I should never of have left Reggie on his own." She started sniffling a bit.

"This wasn't your fault Alice."

"I have no one to blame but myself" a few more tears fell down her cheeks, and she took a handkerchief from her skirt pocket to wipe them away and dry her eyes. "And now, me and the chess people are going to be executed, at dawn was what the queen said, whenever that arrives, and you'll never be free Jabberwock. I'll die in a strange land, and I'll never see my family again." She fiddled with the handkerchief in her lap, regretting all the things she thought about her family, wishing more than anything to see them again now. Her mother, her father, even her sister. They'll never know she would die here. She'll never play with Dinah again, to pet or cuddle her.

But worst of all, it already happened but, she'll never see Reggie again. Memories of the times with him, her best memories, flooded her and with regret in her voice "I told him his father died Jabberwock" more tears fell down her cheeks, and Jabberwock's face fell. "His father had passed months ago and he didn't know it. He was going to see it on the staff but I thought I should tell him first." She sniffled a bit again. "He, he was heartbroken, and, and" her words became further apart as she was now on the verge of sobbing. "And, that would've been the last thing he felt before he, before he, before he, died!" at that last word she broke down. She began sobbing into her lap, still clutching the handkerchief. Jabberwock just stayed silent, and Alice continued to cry in the middle of the big dark cell.

"How-? How is that-? You were killed" Reggie was staring up at the figure made of steam before him.

The figure of his father, although made of steam, was clearly him, and was wearing a redcoat British army uniform without the hat. "Reggie" it spoke in a stern but caring voice, definitely his father's, which he recognised even after all these years.

"Yes, I'm sorry you didn't find out soon enough son, but do not be hard on your mother for not telling you."

"I, but I had a right to know" was all Reggie could think to say.

"She didn't want to break your heart, as neither did I."

"What do you mean?"

"From what I told you about the empire in those letters."

"You told me that we were heroes. That we were protecting this planet and it's people" Reggie said in soft tone.

The steam ghost of his father sighed and replied "I did not want to tell my son that the very thing he believed in was not all what it seemed. I will not deny that the empire has blood on it's hands, but does that conflict with the good that it has done?"

"Good things?"

"You know what the Kali cult is right? A spiritual group of murderers, long gone now because of us. Napoleon Bonaparte and his empire, we stopped his advancement at waterloo. And if we had not provided the united states an enemy to rally against and to form amendments out of, heck there probably wouldn't even be a _united_ states."

"But what about the taking of land? The killing of natives? I don't even know what to believe in anymore."

"What we did in the past was wrong, and now in the present. But think of the future Reginald. The countries we have, you may not believe this now, but in time most of them will be the most civilised places on earth, the most free places on earth. Without us, if no other country gets there, they would still be living in grass huts."

"Are you justifying it?"

"No. I want you to learn from our mistakes."

This caught Reggie off guard, but continued to listen with interest.

"But you know the strategies of the empire, you can learn from the good things we do, and avoid the mistakes we made." This was his final piece he advised. And Reggie stood there, going over what he has learnt. On one hand he had witnessed massacres, on both sides, but on the other, he had learnt to never believe everything he read, most of the time, and avoid the mistakes of his idols, and learn and take on the good things they do.

"You never did any of those terrible things did you?" he asked.

"Willingly, no" his father replied.

Reggie stood there for a while before admitting "I missed you dad. And I'm going to miss you. I'm used to you being away, but permanently, it won't be the same. I loved you, and I look up to you. You're still my hero, you always were."

"This is has been said many a many a times but, you know now I will always be with you. Now, you must save the land you are in."

"Save? What do you mean?"

"Your friends as well, like a true hero would. Take care of Alice."

"You know?"

"I always knew. Goodbye my son." With that, the steam disappeared back into the kettle, and the lid fell down on top.

"Well, nothing like a good show to go with the beverage" the March Hare took a sip. Reggie forgot that he was there.

"How did you do that?"

The hare just laughed. "If you scrape through the dirt, you'll find some gems that'll be worth keeping."

"But, does that mean you know my father?"

"Your who now?"

"Nevermind" Reggie's thoughts turned back to something his father said. "What did he mean 'save'?"

"Well I was watching the game and the queen of hearts visited, and took everyone."

"What?" worry struck Reggie.

"She took everything, the staff the chess people the Jabberwock, and your blonde friend."

"She took Alice! Which way is the heart's kingdom?"

"Through here" the Hare lifted up some grass which revealed another underground tunnel. "Just remember my boy, there probably was some good in it, if you believed in it in the first place."

Filled with determination, Reggie took in everything his father had said, use the tactics of the empire and the spirit, avoid the mistakes it made. Plus, his friend and his new ones being in possible danger was all the motivation he needed. He turned around and ran into the tunnel.

The March Hare, started to then smile and chuckle slightly, whilst taking a victory sip. "So what are you doing now boy?"

Reggie turned his head back and yelled "I'm going to save them!"

 **Well can you believe it's been a year since I first started this fic. Well, just over a year, and only 21 chapters so far. I updated this a few hours late. Just want to say, for those who have been keeping up with this fic, thank you for sticking around this long, and sorry for the slow updates, we're getting closer to the finale now anyway. Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll this version Disney.**


	22. Mutiny

Alice wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it seemed to be enough time for the executions to start, because she was escorted out of her cell by the card guards as well as Jabberwock. He wasn't going to be executed but had to attend anyway. She was led through the wacky corridors until they got to the grounds of the castle, and the queen was waiting for them, still in possession of the staff. Alice's eyes were red and puffy from crying, and she still felt guilty about the chess people being sentenced to death because of a mistake she made.

The queen chuckled slightly. "Well it's about time you showed up for this. You're late. _Too_ late if you ask me."

Although Alice didn't particularly want to talk to the queen right now, she had to at least try to persuade this insane woman that she only had to kill her. "Your majesty, surely out of all the people you've captured just now, the chess people have done the least harm" she tried to argue.

"Least? Those chess people have been plaguing me of annoyance with their silly little games for years" the queen angrily shot back.

"So annoying you is a crime?"

"Of course it is! I say it is. That makes it official."

"It's no use trying to convince her Alice" Jabberwock whispered to her. "She hates them. It's the very reason she raised me believing they had to be destroyed, that they should be killed. It won't matter how many times you request this to her."

Request! An idea came to Alice. She had been here before, she had seen their type of logic, although the logic here seemed to change quite a lot. But she had to try and remember what she learned about this land and use it carefully. "Your majesty, remember when you put me on trial that time-"

"And you were found guilty. We do not need another one."

"I know. But surely, shouldn't every person who is to be executed receive a last request?" Alice eyed the king of hearts particularly when she said this, hoping to play on the kindness of the queen's husband.

"Ha! Not a single one of my guards was given a last request when they were executed. Why you should be any different is unthinkable."

"Oh but you'll like this last request your majesty. I just know how much you love to play croquet, so beating me in one final game before you execute me would make you look like a remarkable royal wouldn't it?" Alice knew her character.

The queen paused for a second, as thinking over logically for once. She then smiled. "Hm, it'll be quite fun humiliating you before I kill you. Very well! A game of croquet shall begin with many witnesses!" she ordered quite loudly.

"Oh Splendid! White rabbit, set up the game for us!" the king proclaimed quite excited.

"Right away sir" saluted the white rabbit.

"Guards! The executions will be put on hold, gather everyone round for a speculation of croquet!" the queen of hearts was about to walk towards the castle courtyard, but Alice quickly thought of something.

"Won't you require an audience for my 'humiliation'?"

"Why I can gather all the people from around Wonderland to see this" the king said excitedly. "Send out a call for all inhabitants of Wonderland."

"Well girl, it seems that you have but a few tidbits of time left. What a shame I'll be the highlight of your last moments" the queen made her way to the courtyard whilst the card guards pushed both Alice and Jabberwock along.

Jabberwock, who had been listening to them, was not sure of what the girl was trying to do. "Alice what are you making her do?" he whispered whilst being forced to walk alongside her.

"Jabberwock listen. The queen of hearts will be too occupied with this game of croquet to focus on the chess people" she whispered back.

"But the guards will surely be holding them" Jabberwock pointed out.

"I know. But if all the wacky inhabitants from the rest of Wonderland are here, it won't be hard to create a distraction."

"Alice my powers won't work whilst i'm in these cuffs."

"You probably won't need to use them knowing these characters."

"Well what about you?"

Alice just quietly sighed. "Don't worry about me. Just help get the chess people to safety."

"But Alice-" Jabberwock was trying to protest. He didn't want this girl who had only tried to help him be left here to die.

"I got these people into this Jabberwock." She sighed again. "Don't worry about what happens to me, just save them. It's what, it's what Reggie would've done."

Jabberwock did not like this. But, he wasn't in exactly the position to choose right now.

Reggie made his way out of the underground tunnel and ended up in some sort of forest. No doubt they were all taken to the queen of heart's castle for execution, wherever that was. He had to think quickly, which way would it be? Suddenly two figures ran, or more like bounced past him and Reggie just managed to dodge them. He recognised them, the tweedle brothers whom he helped rescue before.

"Hey you two! Tweedles, is it?" Reggie called for them. They stopped and turned around.

"Why, what are you doing here boy? You shouldn't be standing here when something rare has just happened-"

"Look I don't have time for your riddles. I need to know where the queen's castle-" he was interrupted by them again.

"Oh but that's it. The queen herself has called for everyone in Wonderland, or the heart's kingdom at least, to witness a croquet game before an execution" the Tweedles explained.

"Wait? You're heading there now?"

"Indeed my boy." They pulled a branch of a tree, not too far from them, and it opened up leading to a pathway of the queen's castle. Reggie felt a wave of temporary relief as he found the castle. But then quickly remembered that Alice, Jabberwock, and the chess people were in danger.

"Well what are we waiting for?" the Tweedles jumped excitedly into the passage. Reggie ran into it as well, thinking over what the Tweedles had said. There was a croquet game right before executions. That means Alice and the other chess people were still alive at the moment. The croquet game was either the queen's sick way of celebrating or somehow Alice managed to stall her. He couldn't just run in there without a plan, he remembered what his father had said, and remembered the chess games. He had to think of a strategy first.

He approached the courtyard gates where there was a line of so many wacky characters from this world, some of which Reggie had met, and two card guards were inspecting them before they went in. Great, he had to sneak past them somehow, wait, the Tweedles.

He caught up with the pair again and said "I'm glad I caught you two."

"Caught? You didn't catch us."

"No, I'm greeting you, as you are about to do with those guards. And remember, what's the first thing you do when greeting someone?"

The Tweedles smiled and when it was their turn to be inspected by the guards, their first instinct was to grab the guard's hands and sing "How do you do and shake hands, shake hands, shake hands-" Whilst the guards had no idea what was going on, Reggie took this opportunity to sneak past them. He was in, but he couldn't afford to be recognised. He then recognised a face from earlier, similar to how he recognised the Tweedles. The sea captain dodo was standing near a hedge, having trouble lighting his pipe. "Oh blast this useless-"

"Mr sea captain" Reggie came up to him, which startled the dodo, making him almost drop the pipe.

"What where? Oh, it's you my boy. We were in that ship crash together."

"Having trouble?" Reggie gestured to his pipe.

"Hm? Oh yes, well after that little escapade at sea, my matches appear to be all soggy and-" before he could finish, Reggie picked up two sticks lying on the ground and quickly rubbed them together creating a small fire on each. "Would you like your pipe to have a light captain?"

"That's remarkable, yes, may I have this light-"

"You can, but first Mr dodo, I want to trade something." Reggie was now walking through the castle courtyard in an old sea captain's jacket and hat, the card guards not suspecting a thing.

On the castle grounds, the game was set up for both the queen and Alice, who had been let out of her cuffs, and were standing on a croquet course, with other guards and the inhabitants of Wonderland, although most of them were engaged in their own little thing, watching them. The chess people and Jabberwock were kept to the side, still in chains.

"We have to watch this first? Oh just kill us now" the red queen sighed.

Alice and the queen were given flamingos as croquet clubs, whilst the king of hearts held the Jabberwock staff for now.

"The queen shall go first" the white rabbit declared.

The Queen of hearts steadied her flamingo against the hedgehog which was being used as the ball, and took the shot. The card guards had to act as the hoops the ball would go through, and the guards would literally bend over backwards to make sure the queen got a perfect score. The crowd applauded and the queen bowed to them all. During the noise, a disguised Reggie was making his way quietly through the crowd trying to look for people he recognised. Then to his luck, he spotted someone rather tall. Jabberwock. The other characters of Wonderland must have not recognised him as a Jabberwock in his human form. He was in cuffs by a group of card guards and all the chess people. The royals, the bishops the knights, even princess Alba.

He sneaked up to them and spoke to a guard that was close to Jabberwock. "Sir, I'd like to inform you that your presence was requested at the gate." "Me?" "Am I looking at anyone else?" "By the angle of your head, no." The guard ran off and this allowed Reggie to talk to Jabberwock. "Psst. Jabberwock down here."

Jabberwock looked down and saw through the disguise. "Reggie" he whispered trying to contain his joy. "We thought you were dead. The queen showed us an image on the staff showing get crushed to death by rocks."

Reggie eyed the queen's two servants who were sat close to the king of hearts. "I managed to get out of the way of the rocks. Jabberwock what's going on? Why is there a croquet game?"

"Alice convinced the queen to have a game of croquet before she executed her. She wants me to make a distraction somehow, so the chess people can get out of here."

"But how can the chess people even escape from here? There are guards everywhere."

"She said use the characters of Wonderland."

"I see." Reggie eyed the Mad Hatter and Dormouse on a table they had set up, drinking tea and watching the game. "What if I provided that distraction for you" he smiled and Jabberwock watched him as he made his way through the crowd. Jabberwock turned back to Alice who was about to take her shot.

Before she did, she quickly looked up at him and nodded. He knew she wanted him to create a distraction somehow. He hoped whatever Reggie was going to do was good enough. Alice then took her shot, and Reggie used this opportunity. He was standing near the table of the Mad Hatter and the Dormouse and in a calm tone said: "Oh look, a cat."

"Cat!" The Dormouse suddenly got up and started running around the crowd with the Mad hatter chasing after him. "Oh no! Quick get the jam!"

This caused a commotion amongst the crowd which got the queen's attention. She turned to the guards and demanded they restored order. This took a while however and eventually the Hatter calmed down the Dormouse. The queen was about to take another shot and Reggie made his way to the bird in a nest whom he recognised as the one who called Alice a 'serpent'. He then said "Is that a serpent over there?"

"Serpent! Serpent!" the bird panicked and started flying around. The queen of hearts almost ruined her shot because of this. "Guards! Silence that bird!" she ordered. Reggie kept doing this for several people, causing noise every time a shot was about to be taken. The queen's guards were running around ragged. They were forced to quiet down the crowd, and make sure the queen would win the game of croquet, in fear of losing their heads. Alice looked to see Jabberwock still in the same place as he was before. This confused her. How was he managing to create all these distractions? She then decided to use this opportunity of the queen being distracted to talk to some of the guards.

"Wow, all this commotion in the crowd, does the queen expect you guards to maintain it all?" she asked them.

"Sadly yes" one of them whispered. "And she wants us to make sure she wins her croquet games too, otherwise we lose our heads."

"That must be very stressful. I was in the chess kingdom just now, and the royals there treat their guards rather well" Alice informed them.

"Really?" they became curious.

Alice nodded. "Mm-hm. You should ask them."

The card guards then started whispering to other guards behind the queen's and servants backs, and they got into a conversation with the still chained chess people. "So how do the guards live in your kingdom?" they whispered to them.

"Oh they do their jobs really well" the white queen boasted. "They get to take care of our amazing chess games, and in return we provide with good accommodation and food" added the white king. "You mean, you don't execute them?" the guards asked. "Execute? No, we're too dignified for that" the red king informed.

Reggie had just padlocked a small building up containing weapons for the card guards, which he had found whilst looking around. He made the padlock out of a clump of grass he pulled from the ground. Deindustrialize the enemy, a great strategy from the empire he could use. The Queen of heart's had enough of this, of the crowd causing too much noise. "Alright that's it! I'm just going to start the executions now!"

There was a small cheer from the servants and a small amount of guards. "Now, before I take you to the beheading block my dear, are there any final words?" she asked Alice in a gleeful tone.

"Just a few questions for your guards your majesty."

"Oh?" the queen said confused.

"Yes." Alice turned to them. "What just is it exactly that makes you all so loyal to your queen?"

"Well she's charming, she's a good leader, and good looking, but most of all, she's a _queen_ and we're just numbers." The guards finished and the queen smiled at all these compliments.

"But what about logic?" Alice added, knowing this time exactly what she was doing.

"Logic?" they repeated.

"Yes. Take blackjack or poker, where a hand of normal cards can easily win without a queen" Alice pointed out.

The queen of hearts looked up at her guards. "Don't listen to her. Take her to the block!"

"Or what about other card rules where normal cards, if they are together, can easily surpass a queen?" Alice continued, making the guards hesitate, and start to think.

"Take her to the execution block now! You still serve me! Don't make me take all your heads as well!" the queen threatened.

"You all realise no one will be beheaded if you don't follow her" Alice informed them.

"Take her, now!" the queen demanded again.

"No!" one of the guards declined, surprising everyone. "What's to say you'll just behead us in the future?" Another guard spoke up. "You say that the chess people are all evil, but at least they don't execute their guards!"

"This is preposterous! I am your queen, the queen of hearts! You should follow me!"

"And lose our heads doing so? _Do_ we have to follow you?" they all advanced on her. The characters of Wonderland actually completely quiet, watching the drama unfold. The queen backed up from the guards advancing on her. Alice stepped out of the area to avoid the impending danger. The queen desperately turned to the guards who still loyal to her. "Guards! Get them!"

The guards all ran at each other and a fight, no, a battle broke out on the castle grounds. The characters of Wonderland watched on and began cheering, until the Mad hatter picked up a table leg and declared "Well, democracy ain't gonna fight for itself." And most of the other Wonderland characters followed him, and a bigger battle broke out against the guards who still remained loyal to the queen.

The king of heart's and the white rabbit had to duck for cover. "Oh dear" the white rabbit took shelter, quite scared. Both of them had dropped the Jabberwock staff. The queen was desperately looking around for said staff, as was Alice.

Reggie threw off the disguise and picked up a sword, running over to the chess people and Jabberwock, where the guards on their side managed to take the cuffs off all of them. "Here you go kid" one of the guards gave him the dagger he lost back. Reggie turned to the chess people. Your majesties, get your subjects to safety, but leave your knights here to fight. Alba, as much as we disagreed before, I need someone like you in the battle, grab a weapon."

"I just hope your strategy is good now Hargreaves" she picked some sort of spear. "Ever heard of divide and conquer?" Reggie replied as he rallied up a group of guards and instructed them on what to do. They saluted him and carried out the battle plans that he told them. Jabberwock, now free of the cuffs, was able to use his powers in the battle. He shot fire out of his fingers, and transformed things into blunt objects to hit the guards with. He was their ace.

It wasn't actually long until Reggie was commanding their whole side, using the tactics and battle strategies he learned from the empire and his father. The guards still loyal to the queen found that their weapons storage had been locked, and were fighting with whatever they could find. Reggie engaged in a sword fight with some guards, and in truth, he had hardly been in sword fights before, but he remembered they were just card and kicked them down, and easily overpowering them with the sword. Jabberwock easily created bursts of air from his hands, blowing the cards away. Reggie found himself in a tight spot against some guards, but some sort of liquid from above scolded them. Reggie looked up to see the March Hare sat on a wall with teapots in his hands, and the two smiled at each other. The Mad Hatter and Dormouse were fighting, the dodo, the Tweedles, Bill the lizard, the chess knights, princess Alba, Reggie and Jabberwock all were too. Along with most of the guards.

Reggie tried to look around for the Staff as he had just remembered that. Alice was too, and was desperately searching for it, so it wasn't long until the two locked eyes, and Alice gasped in excitement when she saw Reggie on the other side of the battle, who did a small salute to her. He was alive. She almost forgot about the staff for a moment, when she started looking for it again, hoping to end all this. And luckily, she saw it, lying on the floor. But before she could take it, it started moving by itself.

"What? How can it?" Alice then saw a purple tail appear, before a whole body revealed itself. "The cheshire cat" she realised. "In the flesh my dear" he said in his ever casual tone. "I have no time for this, I need that staff, desperately" Alice reasoned. "What staff?" the cat asked. "That staff" Alice pointed to it. "I don't see a staff" the cat smirked.

"Oh you little-" "Oh wait, I see it now. It's just by the queen of heart's who's looking for it as well" he chuckled and dropped it by the queen who then picked it up. "Ah! There it is!" she smiled. "Bye" the cheshire cat became invisible again.

"Alright that's enough!" the queen exclaimed, casting a power from the staff onto the people who were fighting against her, who had pretty much won the fight by now. They were in chains and forced to kneel. Reggie however jumped into a hedge to avoid it, and since the queen didn't know he was here, it was easier for him to do so.

"You are all traitors, all of you!" She had even recaptured the chess people. "And as soon as I execute the Alice girl every single one of you will die at my hand" she shook the staff at them. At this point, there was nothing else the people could do, whilst the queen had the staff. Her two servants grabbed Alice, and waited for the queen's orders. "I have an axe in the castle, we'll execute her in there. When I come back" she turned back to the people of Wonderland and defected guards "it will be the end, for all of you." She then lead her servants dragging Alice into her castle.

Reggie came out of the hedge, having just witnessed what happened. "Jabberwock!" he ran to him. "Reggie! Don't worry about me, go get Alice! She's in the castle. Get the staff and you can free us." The working class boy looked back at the castle, sword in hand. "Let's finally finish this." It was all down to Reggie now.

 **Sorry for the long wait everyone, I had some writer's block on how the battle should play out and how Alice would spark a mutiny, and how Reggie would fight for them. Still that doesn't excuse the lateness. We're getting ever so closer to the end now. Kinda sad really. Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version disney**.


	23. Reggie vs The Queen Showdown

Reggie ran into the large castle, hoping to find his friend before she was killed. "Alice?" he called out. Although he knew that the inside of this castle was probably just as insane as the rest of Wonderland, he desperately searched every hallway he ran down. "Alice?" He called out again.

He ran across some sideways stairs and climbed downwards on a rope, until he came across a hall where he saw a handkerchief lying near the bottom of a door. He knelt down and picked it up. "Alice's handkerchief." Reggie looked up at the door. They wouldn't be expecting him. He peeked through, slightly opening the door, and it was a rather large room. And in the room, the Queen of hearts was there holding the staff, yelling at her servants to get the right axe this time. And not too far away from them, Alice was there on her knees, not showing any fear. She had an expression as if she were annoyed, and a very displeased look on her face, but she didn't say anything.

Reggie hid back behind the door. He never went into a situation like this without a strategy or plan, and he had two. The most obvious plan of action was to get the staff off the queen somehow, then he could defeat her easily. But that was going to be extremely hard. So he made a backup plan just incase. He snuck into the room and hid behind a pillar. First, he needed to get the servants out the room somehow. He peered from behind the pillar and thought over what he could do.

While he was looking, Alice saw out of the corner of her eye, and spotted Reggie behind the pillar, and he noticed her. She almost called out his name, but then remembered her situation. He signalled to her to distract the servants, or the queen at least. She nodded. She turned to the queen and servants and pretended to be bored.

"Oh if you're going to execute me at least hurry up. Aren't there any other rooms with axes in them?" she asked in a sarcastic tone.

"You be quiet!" the queen shouted back, making Alice's hair fly up a bit and then fall back down. "Oh but I suppose you're right. I'll still be killing you my way." The queen then ordered her servants to check another room in the castle to find a sharp enough axe.

Reggie snuck from behind pillar to pillar, trying to get close enough to the queen, but he was worried whether she would quickly turn around and spot him. Alice knew she had to keep the queen's eyes on her somehow.

"You know your majesty, I could easily just stand up and make my way out of this door right now-"

"You'll do no such thing! And it's _my_ way not _your_ way!" The queen retorted pointing the staff at Alice, threatening her not to move. "Actually come to think of it, I don't need an axe. I could easily just kill you with the staff right now."

Reggie quietly snuck from behind the pillar and up to the queen, hoping to either grab the staff, and strike the queen with the sword he had. Alice kept stalling.

"Oh really? Well I'm surprised you didn't think of that in the first place your majesty. How exactly will you use it kill me?"

"Hm, well there are a many things" the queen smiled sadistically. All the while Reggie was getting closer. Alice's eyes kept darting from the queen to him.

"I could disintegrate you right now I suppose. Or, I could slice you, with this staff's power,"

Reggie was so close now, and he was about to make a swing with the sword, when the servants came back in the room with an axe. "Your majesty, we found one-, what?"

They noticed Reggie, and as the queen turned around so did she. "The boy! Here?" She saw he was about to swing at her with the sword, so before he could she fired a blast from the staff at him blasting him back through a door into another room.

"Reggie!" Alice cried out, but the queen used the staff to put her in chains, connected to the floor.

"If he got in how many of the others did? Guard the door with that axe, I'll deal with this boy first" the queen ordered her guards and they obeyed.

On the outside, whilst everyone was struggling with their chains, Jabberwock saw a figure come up to him. The March Hare was standing there twirling some keys in his hand. "You're that March Hare aren't you? Where did you get those keys?"

"My dear Jabberwock where there are chains there are keys." He unlocked Jabberwock's chains. "Now excuse me while I free this old fool."

"Just because she didn't get you with the chains, doesn't give you a right to criticize" the Mad Hatter protested.

"We can't keep freeing these people one by one, it'll be quicker to help Alice and Reggie and get the staff back to free them all" Jabberwock suggested.

"Then take this chess square Jabberwock!" a voice called and they turned to see Alba, although still restrained had a flying chess square around which she must've summoned.

"Thank you princess" Jabberwock climbed on the square. "Come on, we have to help them." The square flew him into the castle, and eventually they found the room Alice was in, blasting the door open and Jabberwock knocked out the two servants with his powers.

"Jabberwock!" Alice called out with some relief. "Alice! Where's the queen? And Reggie? He was in here" he broke her chains she was in.

"Reggie confronted her. She knocked him back into that room. We have to help him, she might kill him!"

Reggie found himself in another large room, which was more to the back of the castle. He was on his back, aching with pain. The room was dark and massive. It was lit only by torches, and had stairs alongside the walls going up to higher platforms of the room. There were types of trees around the room for decoration, called Tumtum trees. He looked up to see the queen walking towards him, aiming the staff at him, preparing to blast him.

"You dare attack the monarch in her own castle? Why I'll blast you into-" before she could, Reggie grabbed a handful of dirt in his hand and threw it in the queen's eyes. He made a lunge for the staff in her hand, but she stepped to the side making him miss.

The queen wiped the dirt from her eyes, and attempted to put Reggie in chains with the staff, but he was quick on his feet, and dodged every blast. He swung for with the sword which she blocked by holding the staff up. She was stronger than she looked, and pushed him down, about to disintegrate him. But Reggie quickly swung his fist around, socking her across the jaw. The queen fell down and Reggie grabbed the staff trying to pry it from her. She stood up and struggled with him.

The chess square flew in just then in the higher area of the room. The queen saw them before they saw her, and before Jabberwock could use his power against the queen, she blasted a beam at them, and the beam was enough to knock Reggie back. The chess square Alice and Jabberwock were on fell down to a higher platform of the room. Alice braced herself as they landed. She looked up to see Jabberwock lying unconscious and the chess square temporarily immobile.

"Oh no. Jabberwock, wake up, please." She shook him a bit and crawled over to the ledge. "Reggie! Jabberwock's out cold! I can't wake him up!" Reggie stood up and glared at the queen.

"He'll wake up soon your highness. His power's equal to that staff!"

The queen just smiled. "Well, he can't go in his Jabberwock form outside his castle. Me on the other hand," she then did something shocking. The staff started glowing and the queen began to transform. She grew bigger and, a snout. She grew wings and claws and sharper teeth. Both Alice's and Reggie's eyes widened, and fear gripped them. They knew what she was, they had seen Jabberwock in his beastly form, and now the queen too, was a Jabberwock, only much much bigger.

She threw the staff far into a darker area into the room, and glared down at Reggie, a puff of smoke came from her nostrils. Although there was some fear in him, Reggie didn't run. Instead he summoned up all the courage in him, and gripped the sword in his hands tighter. The now Jabberwock queen lunged for him, but he dived out the way.

He had to look for the staff somewhere, but first, Alice was vulnerable. He tried to get to her first by running up some stairs but the queen swiped at him with her claw, destroying some of the stairs in front of him, and he stumbled just a bit. The stairs he was on was destroyed. He decided to do something risky, he jumped off the stairs and landed on his opponent, jabbing his blade into her and jumping off her again. As the queen Jabberwock roared out in pain, Reggie ran into the area where she threw the staff. It was nowhere to be seen, and when Reggie turned around, neither was the queen, which confused and worried him.

He took his Vorpal sword in hand; long time the manxome foe he sought, so rested he by the Tumtum tree, and stood a while in thought.

It was going to be difficult to get the staff now, so he had to use his backup plan, especially since she was a Jabberwock now. He just needed to talk to the queen somehow.

And, as in uffish thought he stood, the Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, came whiffling through the tulgey wood, and burbled as it came.

The queen flew down at him from the upper levels of the room, from where she was hiding, and knocked over the other trees as she darted for him. Reggie managed to stick the sword in her snout, giving him some time to run up another case of stairs. The queen pulled the sword out, and blew fire at Reggie which he ducked, barely missing it.

Alice had Jabberwock in her lap trying to get him to wake up from unconsciousness. All of a sudden, the platform she was on started to give way, and was about to collapse any minute. Luckily the chess square was now awake. "Chess square, carry Jabberwock down near the door to this room" she instructed. With Jabberwock lying down on the square, there was no room for her, but the square obeyed, going as fast as he could.

The queen suddenly grabbed Reggie with her claw, and he struggled to get his arm free. She was about to squeeze him to death, when Reggie pulled an arm out, holding his dagger with it, and stabbed the queen causing her to let go. He grabbed onto a rope and dangled. The queen was slightly injured and was taking a moment to recover. Reggie looked over to see Alice on a platform which was on the verge of collapse, so he tried his best to swing over there and he eventually made it.

"Alice you're alright!"

"You too! But Reggie, this is going to go any minute!" she referred to the platform they were standing on.

"Alice, grab hold." Reggie held out an arm, and Alice was hesitant at first, but when the platform shifted suddenly she realised they had no time. She grabbed a hold of him and Reggie held her tight.

"Hold on" he instructed. The two swung on the rope, just as the platform collapsed, and they managed to swing down towards the exit.

Jabberwock had now woken up, and came to his senses. He then saw the other Jabberwock in the room. "Is that my, mistress?" The children nodded. "Reggie look" Alice pointed and they saw the staff lying quite distance away, but they found it nonetheless. Reggie got a determined look on his face and turned around.

"Chess square, take them both out of this castle, I'll catch up."

"Wait Reggie, we can't leave you-" Jabberwock protested but Reggie interrupted him.

"I don't want you killed Jabberwock, or you Alice. I know what to do anyway" he gestured his head to the queen and the staff, and Jabberwock then realised what he was planning. "Wait no, Reggie we're not just-" "C'mon Alice" Jabberwock quickly grabbed her and placed her on the square. "Let's go" he said and the square flew off, and Alice was struggling. "We can't just leave him!" "He'll be alright, trust me!"

After they were gone Reggie made an attempt for the staff, but the queen blocked it with her tail. Reggie picked up the sword from the floor.

"You and that girl have been nothing but trouble" the queen Jabberwock snarled in a deeper voice. "Once I rid myself of you two, I'll be an invincible ruler of Wonderland."

"Except you're still vulnerable in your human form" pointed out Reggie. The queen was confused. "All your subjects and guards even, they're all against you now, you can't stay on guard forever, that staff will be taken from you at some point" Reggie declared.

And in a brief moment of sanity, the queen slid her tail over to the staff and grabbed it. "Then let me amend that. I shall stay in this form, permanently." A beam from the staff fired at her, whilst Reggie looked behind him to see an open door leading to a long corridor. At the end of it, was an open gate leading outside of the castle.

The queen, being strong enough in a Jabberwock form, snapped the staff in half, so no one could use it against her. "So then boy, where were we?"

"You want to finish me? Then come after me!" Reggie ran through the door and down the corridor. The queen burst through the wall and gave chase. She was much bigger, and almost caught up with him.

Every time her snout got close, Reggie swung at it with the sword. He was forced to duck every time she breathed fire at him, and he almost tripped a few times, but he kept going. 'C'mon' he thought, desperately trying to reach the exit, as the queen was catching up. He was forced to drop the sword and keep running. He was close to the exit now, and the beast was close to him. She was just about to grab him, when Reggie made one final leap and jumped out the castle whilst the queen smashed into some sort of invisible wall.

He landed on a slope with grass and trees on it, panting heavily. "What? Why can't I-?" the queen just kept hitting an invisible wall trying to get out.

"Don't you remember your majesty?" Reggie looked up and said between breaths. "Jabberwocks aren't allowed outside the castle they were domesticated in. In their Jabberwock form at least. And you don't have a human form anymore."

The queen growled. "Then I can just go back and grab the staff and change back- oh no." She remembered, she had destroyed it. "You tricked me, you-" she tried slamming out of the castle, but to no avail.

Reggie just looked down and sighed from relief, chuckling a bit. Exhausted, he managed to stand up, and stumbled his way back to the front of the castle.

 **The big climactic final battle, I hope it was climactic enough, other elements in other chapters were building up to this moment, and Reggie did well didn't he? We're getting near the end now, only one or two chapters left. Thanks for everyone for sticking around.**

 **Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version Disney.**


	24. Going home

Reggie stumbled up the hill and up the side of the castle, until he reached the front. He was exhausted and was panting heavily, not really paying attention to his surroundings, as he was focusing on his own energy. He walked down the pathway of the castle to where the castle courtyard was, then he heard a noise of a crowd. He looked up to see the people of Wonderland, the chess people, even the card guards who fought alongside them, all free from their chains. Upon seeing him, they all rushed and crowded him, asking him all sorts of insane things at once.

"What happened in there?"

"Has she been slain?"

"Did you actually do it?"

Reggie tried to respond to their questions. "Yes yes, the queen won't be bothering any of you any more. How did you get free from your chains?"

"They were unlocked. The Jabberwock told us-."

Reggie then remembered. "Jabberwock! Alice! Where are they?" The crowd went up to the castle to try and peer into the windows to see what had happened. "Don't worry Reggie, we made it out." He heard a voice say and he turned to see Jabberwock stepping off the flying chess square, reassuring him that they made it to safety.

"You defeated her? I knew your plan would work. Did something happen to the staff?"

"I'll tell you all about it-, wait, where's Alice? She made it out as well didn't she?"

"Don't worry, she made it out too." Jabberwock gestured to part of the crowd still in the courtyard, which Alice emerged from, and was looking around as if she was looking for someone, then she finally laid eyes on Reggie, and her face lit up a bit. She had an expression of surprise at first for a second, then it turned into relief and joy. Reggie couldn't help but smile upon seeing her too.

She started running, almost sprinting, both were happy to see one another. "Alice-" he tried to say but she had reached him and pretty much glomped him into a massive hug, literally jumping on him, burying her face into his shoulder, her blonde hair a mess. Reggie just smiled and hugged back.

"Oh Reggie, I thought you were dead, the queen told us her servants had killed you. I thought-"

"It's okay Alice, it's okay. She won't be bothering us or any of Wonderland any more. I made sure of that" Reggie calmed her down.

"You mean-? Reggie did you kill-" Alice looked at him.

"I trapped her inside. You know how she made herself a Jabberwock, and how they aren't allowed outside the castle they were domesticated in, in their Jabberwock form. Well I managed to trick her into getting rid of her human form. She destroyed the staff and she can't come out" he explained.

"You did? But that's, that's," "Genius." Jabberwock finished off Alice's sentence. And by now the rest of the crowd had realised what happened to the queen. The chess people came up to the children. The white king seemed excited.

"Hast thou slain the Jabberwock?" he asked, referring to the queen Jabberwock, to which Reggie nodded. The white king then had an overwhelming feeling and grew a big smile. "Oh come to my arms my beamish boy!" he wrapped both his arms around Reggie and Alice, squishing them. "Oh frabjous day! Callooh, Callay!" He chortled his joy. He let go of them both, Alice still holding onto Reggie.

"Well, I suppose you are a hero after all, eh Reggie?" Jabberwock figured after most of the chess people moved somewhere else, and it was only the royals around them. "What do you mean?" Reggie raised an eyebrow. "I mean you lead a battle against an evil army, mostly evil anyway" the red queen proclaimed. "In brave sword fights I might add."

"Fought an evil tyrant who transformed into a beast and saved a land and it's people, rescued your friend. It's pretty obvious." Jabberwock smiled and Reggie thought for a second and realised. He had done all that, and he didn't even realise it till now. Everything he aspired to, everything he wanted to be growing up, he had achieved that. Even in the midst of him doubting what a hero even was, he was now assured more than ever the definition of it.

He couldn't help but smile. "I, I am. I did all of those things. I, I actually am one?" "Well almost" Alice replied. "Doesn't the hero get his kiss?" "Hm?" but when Reggie looked down at her, she moved her face up and pressed her lips against his. After which, both children looked at the other before turning away blushing, but smiling.

"You know this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't turned everyone on the queen Alice. You deserve as much praise as me."

"Oh stop it" she smiled.

"I mean it. If only your family could have seen it, they'd be proven wrong about you."

Alice looked up but then remembered something Reggie had said. "Wait Reggie, did you say the queen destroyed the staff?"

"Yeah she-, oh no, that means we can't-" they both turned to Jabberwock and Alice let go of Reggie. Jabberwock knew what they were thinking and looked at the ground with a sad, but optimistic expression.

"Well I don't mind staying in this form children. After all I still have my own castle, where I can go into my Jabberwock form. And I still have these amazing powers" he reminded.

"But what about flying around the skies. Being able to go into your true form all the time without having to conceal it to one castle?" asked Alice with a concerned expression.

"I could still explore Wonderland in my human form, and i'm pretty use to it by now. It should be fine Alice, really."

"Jabberwock I'm, I'm sorry I forgot about-, when I was fighting the queen I-"

"It's okay Reggie, you don't need to apologise. You did what you needed to do. I don't need that rotten staff."

"Unless it's freeing yourself obviously" the March Hare interjected, sitting on a wall admiring the view of the castle. "But of course, as we've all seen, the queen has broken it deary me."

"Hare you're not exactly helping-" Reggie sighed but was interrupted.

"Aren't I? I after I heard what happened in your battle, I took the liberty of taking a chess square and finding this new thing." From a pocket inside his coat, he pulled out another staff, similar but had much different features to the other one.

"Wait that's a-, how did you get that?" Reggie along with Alice and Jabberwock were definitely surprised to see it.

"Well remember how every time a Jabberwock is born, a staff is too? Well this is the one for the queen. If she turned into a Jabberwock then this staff would've been created." He threw it to them which both Alice and Reggie tried to catch, and thankfully did. Alice examined it curiously, running her fingers over the heart patterns, and the end of the staff which was sharper and also heart shaped. The colour of it was also different, red and black.

"How in the world did you find this?" she wondered.

"It was on an island, in a sea, which was made from tears for some reason. Not exactly a hard place to find."

Both Reggie and Alice were skeptical on that, but nethertheless grateful he found this, and relieved that they still had one more chance to free their friend. They turned to face him. "Well it looks as if we can do this after all. How do we-?"

"You have to hold it the right way" Jabberwock told Alice and instructed her and Reggie how to hold it properly to use the power they wanted. Both children held the staff in the correct way, before nodding to each other and firing a beam from the staff which hit Jabberwock. Alice then took the staff and snapped it in half over her knee, as no one should have that type of power.

A spectacle of light and colours revolved around Jabberwock, and he was going to try it. He started to transform, with both children, a few characters of Wonderland, and all the chess people watching. He grew bigger, a snout, wings, a tail, and he flew up into the air, in his true form, his Jabberwock form.

He looked himself over, disbelief and joy over his beastly face. "I'm, outside. In my Jabberwock form. It worked, I can fly around! I can do all sorts of things! Such amazing things! Ha ha!" he performed all somersaults in the air, but then stopped when he noticed the slighting frightened chess people looking at him. Alice and Reggie noticed this too, and Alice beckoned for Jabberwock to fly down.

"Now I know you're all not use to this, and still see him as a beastly creature, but surely his actions have proved otherwise haven't they?" Alice questioned the chess people.

The chess royals stood in thought for a while, until Reggie spoke up. "Sometimes we believe something before we even explore it. Yes there are both pros and cons to everything, but after seeing something for yourself, how he stood alongside you all during the chess games, how he helped you all in this battle, is he really a dangerous beast?"

"Plus he was just as afraid of you. Remember that he explained the queen raised him to believe you were all evil too?" Alice added, and although they still had a look of fear on their faces, the white king spoke up, whose fear had now left him.

"Concerning his actions, an ally to us he has been throughout. It's only logic to never attack a creature, that's never attacked you, even if some other Jabberwocks in the past have been, beastly." He tried to assure his fellow chess people.

"But this creature, it can-" "I'll trust him" the red king interrupted the red queen. "As I" the white queen came forward. The red queen noticed the other chess people starting to agree too, at least most of them. Some were still skeptical.

"But we have no idea what he'll do now that he's in this form, he-"

"Could've easily destroyed us with his powers in his human form" the white king interjected. "You are right about his kind being dangerous, they are. But in this case, he was willing to help us rather than hurt us, he proved he was safe enough to be alongside us, and willing to work with us."

The red queen sighed and accepted. "Well as long as he doesn't want to hurt, bruise or maim our kingdom or the rest of this land, then he is accepted."

Jabberwock flew down to just in front of the chess people. "I promise you, I just want to explore this land, live out my life. I won't even be near your kingdom most of the time." The white king stepped forward, and even grabbed a claw of Jabberwock's, and shook it in a really strange way, as if he was shaking someone's hand. After this, other characters of Wonderland, who were spectating, did the same, all reason to fear this creature gone.

"Well is this a turnout isn't it?" the white rabbit stood next the king of hearts. "Hopefully this will be a new future for Wonderland. Or past."

"Agreed, now I have to see if the queen trapped inside the castle is alright" the king of hearts headed towards the castle.

"What? But she's a fierce Jabberwock!" protested the white rabbit.

"I know, but she's still my wife" he headed in to comfort his wife.

The two children were exhausted but were still overwhelmed with joy that Jabberwock had gotten what he had always wanted. Then Alice, out of the corner of her eye, noticed small cat like footprints being made in a grassy area. "Reggie" she motioned over to it. But Jabberwock had seen it and picked, whatever was making those footprints, up. He threw it to Reggie who held it at arm's length. It turned out to be none other than the chesire cat, whom just turned visible.

"Whoa whoa whoa, let's not be too uh, hasty here" he wriggled in Reggie's grip. "Oh don't worry Mr chesire cat, we won't try anything 'hasty' to you" Alice smirked. "But the people of Wonderland however, after giving the queen the staff." "I think it's really up to them where you end up." Reggie threw him to the card guards who carried him off.

"Well, I suppose with Jabberwock being free, and all of you being safe" Alice begun. "And with the queen of hearts not being a problem anymore, you can all govern yourselves right?" Reggie asked. "We still have the king of hearts, we should be fine" explained one of the guards.

"Then is it alright if we, well, go home now?" Alice turned to Reggie. "I would like to see my family again." Reggie smiled and turned to the chess people. "Thank you for everything."

"Oh no my boy. Thank you. You too, Alice" the red king came up them, shaking their hands in his own way. "You'll still be a prince and a queen in our land." "Take care, all of you" Alice was grateful. "Just don't kill any innocent creatures that trespass on your games" Reggie remembered the animal they wanted him to kill. The other chess people came up and shook their hands, thanking them for saving them. Princess Alba even hugged the two children, apologising for her behaviour. "I'm sorry for everything, the way I acted. Though it's only in a person's nature how they act right?" Alice did forgive her. "Yes of course. I forgive you Alba" she said hugging her, but then whispered quite quietly to her "But that doesn't mean you can flirt with Reggie." She let go of Alba after that.

"Well then. Mr, um, Jabberwock, if you would, escort them to the looking glass, it's just north-east-west of our kingdom" the red queen directed.

"Of course, your majesty. Hop on children." Reggie helped Alice on Jabberwock's back before climbing on himself. Before they left, Reggie caught a glimpse of the March Hare sat behind the crowd drinking tea next to a kettle with steam coming from it. And for a second, thought he saw an image in the steam, an image of his father, smiling approvingly at him. When Reggie looked again it was gone. But nethertheless he waved at the March Hare.

The people of Wonderland cheered for them as they took off, in a much more thrilling way than a flying chess square. Both children grabbed on tight, finally getting a ride of Jabberwock's back as they hoped would happen before, and both were laughing just as much as the other. Jabberwock couldn't help but smile too.

"Listen, Alice, Reggie. I'm sorry if about having any doubt and fear in you two. And thank you for doing this for me. I wouldn't be here right now if not for you. I just want to say I'm grateful. I owe you my life."

Alice and Reggie, realising this could be the last time they see their sane and gentle friend, looked at each other and said to Jabberwock. "You don't owe us anything. We helped you the best we could and you helped us. It was mainly because of you we went on this big adventure" Reggie reminded. "We definitely have had quite the day, or days. Come to think of it I don't know how long we've been gone. But anyway, just have a great life Jabberwock, we won't forget you, and we'll try to come back, honest" Alice consulted before hugging his back. "Goodbye." "Goodbye children."

With that, Jabberwock flew straight down to the exact same looking glass the children entered through. And Alice and Reggie's vision became blurry became as they got closer to it, then passing out completely. They found themselves waking up, on a wooden floor, with a chessboard on the floor with overturned pieces, and Dinah nudging them both.

 **I hope this chapter was satisfying enough. They finally achieved what they wanted and freed Jabberwock, and they made it home at last. This fanfic is coming to an end after all this time, I'd say about one or two more chapters to go. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will stick around for the possible final one.**

 **Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll this version disney.**


	25. After the adventure

Alice rubbed her eyes and pushed her blonde strands of hair out of her face, and felt a small furry nose nudging her. "What is it Dinah? I'm not exactly- Dinah!" she quickly realised and Dinah meowed in response. "Why you're-, we, we're home" Alice looked around recognising the room she was in. It was the room on the top floor in her house with the looking glass in it. She turned to see her friend lying on the floor too.

"Reggie, Reggie wake up" she shook his arm and the boy stirred. He got to his knees and his hand through his hair. "What, what is it? What happened-? Hey, we're back. We're home." His reaction was the same as Alice's. Both looked at the clock on the mantlepiece. "But it's only ten minutes from when we were last here." She remembered she had looked at the clock before they supposedly went through the glass.

"Last thing I remember is that we were on Jabberwock's back, and he flew us directly to the looking glass. You, you don't think that-?"

"They used the sleeping method on us?" Alice finished his sentence. "Does that mean we could go straight back? I wonder if we could step straight back through and-" She tried stepping on the mantelpiece and going through the glass, only to hit a solid surface of glass. She rubbed her head stating "Ow."

"Are you okay?" Reggie asked standing up. "Yeah" she stepped down from the mantelpiece. "I don't understand. I thought we could just go back and forth" she placed her hand on the glass several times as if she was trying to push it through. Alice and Reggie didn't see any trees or fields on the other side, just their reflections. "Alice, I don't think we're going to get back through" Reggie placed his hand on her arm. "But, Jabberwock, the chess people, everything we did" she listed off but knew at this point they weren't going back.

"Alice, I know this might sound stupid, but, it did actually happen right? Everything we did, it was real, wasn't it?" Reggie questioned, since now he was back in his own world, the whole thing just felt like a dream. Then again maybe that was intended by them. He also noticed his dagger was gone.

"Well, of course it did. It must've. You heard what they said about people going back to this world didn't you? Besides, if it was a dream then why did we see the same things? We met Jabberwock."

"We found a staff" Reggie added.

"We became leaders of a chess game" said Alice.

"We won the chess games and the staff" said Reggie.

"United the people of Wonderland" said Alice.

"After you sparked a revolution."

"And you defeated the Queen."

"Freed Jabberwock."

"Yes and then we kissed-" both children turned away at that blushing a bright red.

"So it did happen then?" Reggie broke the silence.

Alice then got an idea. "There is one other way to Wonderland" she turned back. "Could we possibly meet each other by our usual meeting place? In the park under that tree?"

"I suppose. But hang on, aren't you still banned from leaving the house?" Reggie remembered.

"Oh you're right! I forgot about that. Well, maybe after my ban has been lifted, we could meet up then. I don't think I should sneak out again. Given the probability, I'll only get caught again, and perhaps, maybe they were right about paying more attention in lessons. Maybe I should talk to my parents, because let's face it, I'll get nowhere by arguing with them, I have to face and apologise to them. And besides," she then spoke in a softer tone. "After believing for a short period that I was going to die, I couldn't get my thoughts off them."

She turned to her pet, and picked her up. "I missed you just as much Dinah" she confessed rubbing her face against the cat's. Dinah purred in response. "I'm not very patient with you at times I know, but I'd have you over any other cat." After the embrace she walked towards the door and turned back to her friend. "I suppose I'd better find my family now, and apologise."

"I'll walk out in a minute, so we won't be seen together. I'll try to meet you next time we're available" Reggie said and Alice nodded, opening the door walking out into the hall. 'Besides, I've got my own family to find' Reggie knew what he had to ask.

Alice walked downstairs to the ground floor of her large house, holding Dinah in her arms, the memories of everything that had happened flooding her mind. She then noticed her mother in the dining room, instructing the servants on how she wanted the table laid out for tonight's dinner. She walked out into the hall and seeing her mother again, in what felt like days, Alice couldn't help but put Dinah aside and run up and hug her mother.

"Oh! Alice? What on earth has gotten into you child?" Realising what she did, Alice quickly let go. "If this is you trying to apologise a hug isn't that subtle."

"I know mother. But in all honesty, I really am trying to apologise." Alice sighed. "I know that you only are trying to look out for me, and want what's best for me, you and father. And I know I'm difficult at times. I just seem to think in the moment rather than think ahead and plan out what I'm going to do first. I should pay more attention in my lessons and it isn't somebody else's fault if I do something, most of the time, it's mine. I will pay more attention, and be responsible, I promise." She spoke from the heart.

Although she didn't let her face show it, Alice's mother couldn't help but feel surprised that her daughter came to realise this in a matter of 24 hours. What she said was probably the most mature thing she had ever heard Alice say, she decided to have a soft tone with her.

"You do sound very genuine saying that Alice" her mother admitted. "You came to that conclusion this quickly?" Alice nodded slowly.

"Dear did you-" "I heard it all from the other room darling." Alice's father responded to her mother, stepping into the hall. "And she does sound very sincere" he observed smiling at his daughter. "But, there still is the case of your lessons, which you have to pay attention to, and if you promise to do so, as well as respecting our wishes" he and his wife glanced at each other. "Then we will lift the ban of you not being able to leave the house, if you promise of course."

Alice couldn't help but fill up with joy at that. "Yes, yes of course. I promise mother! I promise father!" she ran to hug her father too, as she had missed him just as much. "Yes, yes. There's a good girl. Just remember to tell your sister this." Alice let go of her father, and picked up Dinah and headed to the stairs. "And if you're going out don't be too long, dinner is almost ready" her mother called out. "I'll be back, don't worry" Alice smiled and headed up the stairs to find her sister.

She had always had a prickly relationship with her sibling. The two sometimes fought as she thought her sister acted like an intellectually superior authority. But, her sister was better educated and did take time from her job as a home schooler to teach Alice for free. Like she did with her parents, she apologised to her sister and admitted she should study more, maybe she was the one in the wrong. "It's okay Alice. Mother and father wanted me to learn just as much too when I was your age. And look where I am now" she smiled, and for the first time in years, the sisters hugged each other.

Reggie found his mother in the laundry room with some of the other staff in there, and waited patiently until it was just his mother left in that room. He walked in. "Um, mother, I've finished my chores for today."

"Okay then Reggie I'll see you at home, I'm nearly finished here anyway."

Reggie paused before saying "I, actually wanted to talk to you about something mother."

"Could it wait for home Reggie? It's just that I need to finish this first and-" she was occupied by her work and Reggie decided to just come out with it. He didn't really show any emotion, he just talked with a very calm tone.

"I know about father, mother."

This made his mother put down the laundry and turn to face him. A look of worry on her face. "How?" was all she could ask.

"I, figured it out" he lied, wanting to protect his friendship with Alice. "He stopped sending us letters months ago. And they normally bring home the soldiers this time of year for visitation, and he isn't here. We've lost all contact with him, and you're reaction just confirmed it. I know about it."

"Oh Reggie, I'm sorry." His mother came up to him and hugged him, which he slowly returned, a hint of sadness now showing on his face. "I should've told you, I should've. But I just couldn't. He died in a battle in South Africa months ago, I was just as devastated. The news was given to me by my boss Mrs Liddell as the army officials only managed to find where I worked to give the news. I was going to tell you. I sat at home for what felt like hours, waiting for you to come home, and I looked at the picture of you and your father, and remembered how much you looked up to him, and adored him. When you came home that day I just couldn't bring myself to tell you."

She still held on to her son and Reggie tried to comfort his mother. "Mother, I've thought about this before, I've had some time to think. I'm not mad at you for not telling me, I understand why you didn't. I miss him. Yes I do. And I'm not going to forget him, everything he said, every piece of advice, I'll remember. But, was there ever a funeral? It's just that, I'd like to say goodbye, if that's alright."

His mother smiled, wiping a few tears from her eyes. "They did ship his body back and held a military funeral, but, you and I could hold our own one, as you do have a right to say goodbye to your own father." She let go of him. "Alan, your father, was always proud of you. Ever since you were born he cherished you. And he would be proud of the fine young man you're becoming."

After they had made peace, Reggie walked back to his house, thinking over all the crazy events that had happened to him today. He got back to his small house in the working poorer area of London and entered his bedroom, one of the four rooms that made up the house, and pulled out from under his bed a picture frame of his father and a book, which told the strategies of the empire. He then pulled out some newspaper clippings detailing glorious victories. He put his hand on the items and looked like he was in deep thought.

Strategy and spreading western values. He put the book and picture back under his bed. Taking of land. He threw the newspaper clippings in the bin. He heard a knock on his front door, he didn't expect his mother to be home this quickly. He opened it to find Alice standing there trying to put Dinah in her front skirt pocket. "Alice? I didn't think you'd come to see me, I thought you weren't allowed out?" He let her inside.

"After I apologised they gave me another chance and let me go outside again" she explained. "I overheard from the other servants that you went home." She knew where Reggie lived. "And since I am allowed out, could we go to our usual meeting place now?"

Reggie nodded. "I suppose we could, just as long as we're not out too late" he replied. "Oh great! C'mon, I want to see if I can do what I have in mind" Alice headed to the door, but noticed that her friend wasn't all enthusiastic or had a very quiet tone about him. "Reggie? Is everything alright?"

Reggie paused before telling her. "I, spoke to my mother a while ago, about my father." Alice suddenly remembered. She had been thinking about how to get back to Wonderland since she had gotten back, but here her friend was in a time where he needed someone right now after she herself had broken the truth to him, her best friend and the boy who saved her life. She had a look of concern on her face.

"And what, what did she say?"

"She, was sorry for not telling me. Said that me and her could visit his grave, and hold a small funeral for him, since they had the real one when they brought his body back."

"I wish I could go with you" Alice expressed.

"Still, I'll manage. Maybe I'll be a different person, maybe I'll be the same. But he'll still be with me, regardless" Reggie concluded. Alice walked up to him and hugged him tightly. "So will I" she whispered. "Now shall we go?" Reggie looked down at her and smiled.

The pair made their way to the grassy park area near the tree where they usually met. "You sure it'll work this time?" Reggie followed his friend, who started looking around. "If I remember, the rabbit hole was in that direction" she pointed and headed down that way. She had found the rabbit hole many times before, but only once did it ever lead her to Wonderland.

And like before, she found it. "Look Reggie over here!" She got onto her hands and knees and started to crawl in. Dinah watched her curiously from the side. Reggie knelt down in front of the hole and asked "You still there Alice?"

"I should be falling down any minute now and-, well I don't understand. It's a dead end. There should be a hole here, we were there not long ago. Maybe it's the wrong rabbit hole-"

"Alice I don't think it's going to work" Reggie knelt down as she crawled back. He helped her stand up. "That's the reason I wanted to come here, to see if we could go back" she admitted, little disheartened. "Well who knows" Reggie put a hand on her shoulder. "You've been there more than once. Maybe we will go back again one day."

The children walked to the grassy area and sat down next to each other, with Dinah trying to pounce on insects next to them. The sun was setting and the lake in front of them sparkled. "Do you think we will see Jabberwock again? Or any of them? The March Hare, the chess people, humpty dumpty, the dodo?" Alice asked staring at the lake and sunset.

"Maybe. If that place is reachable more than once. I would to see some of them again. And perhaps," Reggie begun as they turned to face each other. "The time when it is needed in our lives to take a lesson from the world of insanity, to question the sanity of our own, then perhaps we will be allowed back."

Alice was filled with hope at that. Maybe she shouldn't try to go back straight away after coming home. She does have a witness now, and just one other person knowing was enough for her. She should concentrate on her life for the moment, and possibly go back in the future.

She rested her head on her friend's shoulder looking at the lake, remembering how they had danced together on a lake's surface under the moonlight. Indeed she had learned a lot from that land. Some things about herself, including her friendship with Reggie, she realised this as she was sitting right next to him now.

She loved the way he tried to give her hope like he did just now, like what he said about Wonderland. She learned a lot about him too, even after all these years, she learned how brave he could be, and great he could be in a crisis. Has great skills in the wilderness, just as intelligent and how fun and caring he could be, like when he took her on that flying chess square ride. There was definitely something she felt deep down that was new and couldn't identify it. That night on Wonderland had indeed made her see her friend in a new light. She subconsciously held his hand and he noticed but didn't say anything.

Reggie was having similar thoughts seeing her hold his hand too. This whole adventure made him realise how childlike she was, and realised how much he liked that. Her curiosity, her humour, her odd way of doing everything, plus the fact that he had been quite a lot of smaller adventures too because of her. She made dull moments fun. Plus she cared for him, and was very kind. Not to mention very, very beautiful.

He enjoyed the sunset with her. Either way, there was no doubt the two friends came out of Wonderland with the slightest crush on the other.

Alice did keep her promise to her parents, and studied quite a lot with her sister, and on her own too. But she still put time aside for her secret meetings with Reggie. He of which actually started visiting the docks where all the ships sailed in a lot less. Although he still made some appearances to see the people he already knew down there.

Reggie also started collecting newspapers a lot less. He read them but didn't keep them. However, over the years he did whatever he could to help wounded soldiers coming back from abroad. He assisted the wounded veterans with whatever they needed, and asked them often how the battles were fought and sometimes won. He also kept record of the society in other countries.

Alice found that she had a surprising talent for organising and planning events. As she started to grow older, she began to show her talents for this when her parents asked her to schedule events and parties with their other upper class friends. So much so that she became a hostess for many events for hire. Over the years she thought about Wonderland and did try to go back with Reggie on several occasions. They never did forget about Jabberwock, and didn't share Wonderland with anyone else.

Reggie, one day in his school, took an interest in the sport cricket. He joined the team and played with them just as a hobby at first, but he actually became quite good at it. His skills with sword fighting came in handy when using the bat. The boy over the years grew better and better in this and kept the teamwork and comradeship that he knew soldiers have. Even so he was asked to join an official local team despite his working class status. In fact the team actually started to make him more money, the type of money he only before ever dreamed of having.

He started to brush up and act more like the upper class when he had too, but he never truly became like that or shunned the people he knew in the working class. Reggie bought quite an impressive house for himself with his new high salary. Through their teen years, Alice and Reggie kept seeing each other frequently, and eventually, the friends for life did become more than just friends. Since he was now considered not to be working class anymore, Alice's parents took quite a liking to Reggie as a person, and at Alice's sister's wedding the two revealed that they would be seeing each other.

That wasn't the last wedding they attended. One night after a dance at one of Alice's hosted parties, the two took a trip to the park they always use to meet up at, around where the rabbit hole was and by the lake, which glistened under the moonlight. Reggie took her here as he wanted to ask her, as he got down on one knee, whether she would be his wife. And in tears of joy, she happily said yes. Their wedding was a few months after.

Many years later, near the grassy park area next to the lake, two children, boy and girl, ran across the area, exploring around the tree, and the girl, who appeared to be younger, tried to climb it. She jumped back down and the boy picked up a branch, looking it over as if he was examining it. "I wonder if," the boy whacked the branch against the tree and the branch broke. "Oh, so it wasn't strong enough." The girl was lead down on the ground, watching a line of ants fighting a grasshopper, quite intrigued by it.

"Kids, did you find the ball?" a woman's voice called.

"Oh, right. Sorry mother, we got distracted." The boy picked up a soft ball in the grass and prepared to throw it. "Make sure to throw softly this time" his mother reminded.

The boy nodded, and threw it accordingly which was hit straight back at him, and the girl jumped in front of him quite hyperactively, catching the ball. "I caught it daddy!"

"Yes I saw dear" a man walking over to them with a cricket bat in hand smiled. "Although we should get back soon. I don't like leaving the rest of the set unattended" he gestured to the bat.

"But we've never been to this area before, I want to explore it" the girl protested.

"Now Dinah, that's not what we came here to do. Save some things for tomorrow" the woman smirked.

"And what about the lake down there? May we have a look to just see what's there?" the boy hoped.

"Alright Alan, but don't get yourself hurt again" his father gave them permission, and the two scampered off almost instantly, as children do, towards the lake/stream.

"It's only the stream Reggie, we did the same when we were young" the mother placed her arms around him.

"We did a lot of things when we were young Alice. Too dangerous now that I look back on it" the father replied.

"But fun nonetheless. We did achieve quite a lot, didn't we? Not to mention learned a few certain things" she batted her eyelashes.

Reggie couldn't help but smile a goofy smile, regardless of him being fully grown. The well built, handsome protective man standing next to his wife, a beautiful, hourglass figure, long blonde haired woman. Both happy with their lives. "Maybe, we should check on them after all. I don't want them getting their clothes barely washable again" Alice admitted and sought her children, finding them crawling into some sort of burrow they'd discovered.

"Alan, what are you doing inside of there?" she asked.

"We heard voices mother" Dinah explained and Alan told her "I wanted to know where they were coming from."

"Alan you're going to get your clothes dirty again, oh look at you" she started dusting her son off after he climbed out the burrow, and she licked her thumb to wipe the dirt off his face.

"Okay mother okay, I'm fine now" the boy protested.

"C'mon everyone, we still left the cricket set back there remember" Reggie reminded.

"But I'm no good at it" pouted Alan.

"Not now maybe, but think of your mistakes in the game" Reggie knelt down to his son's level. "Learn from them, for the future."

"May we run back now?" Dinah asked, but took permission anyway and headed off with her brother.

"Voices? They said they heard voices" Alice said and Reggie joined her looking into the burrow. "You know what this is don't you Reggie?"

"Of course I do" he remembered, as the two both stared into the rabbit hole, until Alice finally wondered "Maybe, if I just crawl in myself, I wonder if it's still-, no, no it wouldn't be would it."

"I wonder how their society's doing too. Still wacky I bet but, better." Reggie figured. He and Alice looked at the other before smiling and standing up, stealing a quick kiss from each other, and looked over to see their children waiting for them. "Father, mother c'mon."

As they walked away, at the very back of the burrow, a dragon like creature popped part of his body up, with a hare sitting on it. "Ah, things always get better with age, don't they?" the Hare chuckled. "Indeed, watching them grow through that glass was the best thing about being free" the dragon creature smiled, as he flew them back down.

The parents reached their children by the bridge. "C'mon you two, let's go" Alice ushered them. Now hold on" Reggie said to Dinah as he picked her up and placed her on his shoulders, and the husband and wife held hands as they walked back across over the bridge, finally completing the story of Alice, and Reggie, back through the looking glass.

 **I couldn't remember if I gave Reggie's father a name or not. I read back through the fic and it doesn't look like I did. If I have that's my mistake. Anyway, that's it. That's my first ever fanfic completed, after 14 months. It took a long time I know but now the ride is over.**

 **I feel like that maybe in the future I should rewrite this fanfic. I really like how it is now, but there were times where I felt the story was too complicated or didn't make sense. Maybe something that could actually be like a sequel to the 1951 movie. But I also might write a one shot series as some sort of sequel to this, detailing Alice and Reggie's adventures in and out of Wonderland, as well as detailing parts of their lives.**

 **But now I'd like to thank everyone for sticking around this long, and my reviewers, Dreamer Helicar, Son of whitebeard and guest. As I write, this fic has over 2000 views, and I like the original characters, and the ones I created. Thanks for reading everyone! Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version Disney.**


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